Environmentalists have called on the Scottish Government to stand up to global energy corporations which want to build windfarms on wild land.
The John Muir Trust has spoken out on the eve of a public local inquiry into a controversial windfarm proposed close to the boundaries of the Cairngorms National Park.
RWE npower renewables plans to build 31 turbines on the tops of the Monadhliath Mountains, near Kincraig.
The Scottish Government will decide on the application. The inquiry, led by reporter Jill Moody, will start at Aviemore today.It will hear evidence from the national park authority, Highland Council and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.
The John Muir Trust will also give evidence. Its head of policy, Helen McDade, said a recent survey had highlighted the concern over the disappearance of Scotland’s wild land.
She said: “The Allt Duine proposal flies in the face of public opinion. This recent survey of a cross-section of the Scottish population found that 60% feel that wild areas in Scotland are under threat, and 86% want more protection for our wild land.”
She said that the 410ft turbines would be visible throughout the national park and would mark the “industrialisation” of the area. She added: “This proposal should have been thrown out before it even reached the stage of a public inquiry.”
The Scottish government should be standing on the side of local communities and respected bodies including the Cairngorms National Park Authority against global corporations intent on exploiting Scotland’s landscape for profit.”