Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser has called on the Scottish Government to listen, understand and act on comments made by Scotland’s leading landscape photographer, Colin Prior, surrounding the unrestrained spread of wind farms.
Mr Prior said, “I’m afraid that the Scottish Government has forsaken the landscape of Scotland for generations to come.”
He went on to say, “Whilst I believe that it is crucial that we find alternative energy sources to fossil fuels… I am not convinced that covering Scotland with subsidised turbines is a price worth paying.
“Calling for a ‘common-sense’ approach to choosing locations for wind farms
“Most of the pictures are the big mountain views and if I took them again now I would have to use Photoshop to take the wind farms out of them.”
Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“There are few professionals who understand Scotland’s landscape as well as Colin Prior and as such his concerns must be considered by the Scottish Government.
“To envisage a future where posters promoting the Scottish landscape include large industrial turbines is a travesty and not to mention a dagger to the heart of our tourist industry.
“Nature based tourism makes a huge contribution to the Scottish economy, however the unchecked spread of wind turbines seriously threatens its very future.
“To date there has been no full-scale independent survey free from Scottish Government influence that investigates the impact of wind farms on tourism.
“Engineers, university professors and now leading figures connected with tourism are all calling for a review into wind energy. The Scottish Government must listen to these expert testimonies or risk the sustainability of Scotland as a place to visit.”