Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser has welcomed calls from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCoS) to protect Scotland’s mountains and wild areas from unsuitable developments.
The organisation has drawn up a five point plan calling for a balance between the need for green power and protecting the valuable wild land and open mountain landscapes.
-Proper recognition of the value of wild and open mountain landscapes as an essential national asset
-Full protection from wind farms and other damaging development for National Parks, National Scenic Areas, other areas designated for their landscape or wildlife importance, and core areas of wild land
-A very strong presumption against development adjacent to protected landscapes that impacts on the qualities which make those landscapes special
-More weight is attached to local decision making in planning
-A balanced, planned electricity generation mix, not an unbalanced over-development of onshore wind
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“The Mountaineering Council of Scotland are well placed to make recommendations on how the Scottish Government should protect wild land. There are fears that recent assurances from the Scottish Government aimed at protecting wild land will not go far enough.
“The final point within the MCOS’s action plan is of prime significance for everyone in Scotland, a lack of balance within the energy generation mix will ultimately lead to higher prices for consumers.
“While Scotland’s famous landscape is a draw for tourists from around the world it is also synonymous with our culture and national consciousness and for these reasons and many more the Scottish Government must do more to protect valuable wild land.”