A Fife community group has accused the Scottish Government of hypocrisy after attempting to secure a grant for a green energy project.
Sustainable Cupar claims housing developers have been given the power of veto over plans that could see environmentally-friendly energy systems installed in new developments.
The group has been angered after its efforts to establish a business case for a renewable energy project within the Cupar North development stalled in bureaucratic red tape.
It had applied to the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) for funding, but was told that a signed piece of paper from the developer, expressing its interest, was required.
With the group having been unable to obtain this thus far, Gordon Pay, coordinator of Sustainable Cupar’s town development group, said that its plans were in limbo.
“It is very difficult to see how the LCITP is assisting the stated aims of the Scottish Government on decarbonisation, or even community empowerment,” he told The Courier.
“It appears to be simply kowtowing to a commercial interest that the Scottish Government has itself already overruled.
“Why does the Scottish Government, through the LCITP, appear to be cutting off its nose to spite itself?”
Solar panels installed on the roofs of new homes, coupled with a heatpump put in place on the local sewer system, could potentially generate huge amounts of environmentally-friendly energy.
The proposal made it into the last 10 of the Scottish Government’s own Local Energy Challenge Fund and was recommended for support by the LCITP.
“We’ve had two feasibility studies conducted but we wanted to look at other aspects of the system,” added Mr Pay.
“We wanted the business case to be looked at so we could take it forward.
“But to do this we were told that we needed an agreement from the developer.
“How will the Scottish Government get what it wants if it gives the power of veto to developers?”
The Courier contacted the Scottish Government with Sustainable Cupar’s concerns, but it said that it could not comment directly in the run up to May’s Scottish Parliament elections.