12 May 2008
Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands MSP, is calling for action to save a project which could bring £200,000 a year to a Northern Community.
The Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Community set up a development company which planned to buy 40 hectares of clear felled Forestry Commission land to create a 3 turbine wind farm.
“This type of land is usually valued at about £1k a hectare but because the district valuer took into account the planned use it has been valued at £80k.
“This has put the project, which will bring in money to be reinvested in local projects, in significant danger,” said Mrs Grant.
“It is a nonsense that this over inflated price has been given to a community group, who are all volunteers.
“The implications for the project, which has been two years in planning, are onerous and time consuming – because the valuation is above £50,000 they have had to hold a community ballot.
“It is no easy task to get 50% response rate from an electorate spread over 100 square miles,” said Mrs. Grant.
The result of the vote is due later this week, but Mrs Grant said that she will be campaigning to see the price brought down.
“I have written to the minister for Rural Affair Richard Lochhead to highlight the injustice of a public body asking for this amount from a community buy out,” she said.
The group were looking at National Lottery Funding to help finance the project.
“The National Lottery expects the public agency to discount the price for community buy-outs.
“It’s flying in the face of their own policies that they appear to be doubling the price rather than reducing it,” said Mrs Grant.
