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One week left to complete Uist housing survey

August 3, 2016

housing

Uist residents are being urged to complete the Housing Needs Survey which they should have received in the post during the last fortnight. Results will provide important information for housing bodies working to determine future locations and types of housing.

Stòras Uibhist, Hebridean Housing Partnership, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, North Uist Development Company and Taighean Innse Gall are working together on the survey as a joint initiative.

Although a great response has been received already from local residents, more people are being urged to complete the survey before the 11th August deadline. All those who participate – whether they are home owners, HHP tenants or private tenants – are able to enter a prize draw for a hamper worth £100.

“Housing has been a priority for us since our formation,” said Kirsty MacCormick, Development Manager for Stòras Uibhist.

“I’m delighted that we are now carrying out this important piece of work, and I urge everyone to participate. When they are collated, the community’s views will inform future housing development and planning throughout Uist. I am also very grateful to our partners whose contribution is helping to make this fully an island-wide analysis of housing need.”

Impetus for the survey came from an agreement amongst participating organisations that there is a requirement to establish what the housing needs are in Uist. What type of housing is required? Where is it required? What tenure should it be? What are the key factors that influence people’s choice of housing? Which are the areas where there are peaks in demand – and why? The aim of this survey is to collate as much information as possible on these issues.

Put together by the Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust, the survey can also be completed online at: http://hscht.polldaddy.com/s/uist-housing-needs-survey. A link can also be found on the homepage of the Stòras Uibhist website. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, HHP, North Uist Development Company, Stòras Uibhist, Tighean Innse Gall

NUDC reaffirms commitment to renewable energy plans

November 17, 2014

NUDC recently has plans to erect two community turbines rejected.

NUDC recently has plans to erect two community turbines rejected.

North Uist Development Company (NUDC) is pressing ahead with plans to harness renewable energy for community benefit.

This is in spite of the recent decision by the Scottish Government to refuse planning permission for NUDC’s flagship project, on account of an objection from the MoD. That project would have seen the erection of two wind turbines at Clachan, delivering £200,000 into the community annually for 15 years, increasing to more than £450,000 in the project’s later years.

“Our remit and purpose is to secure economic development in North Uist and Berneray, so we intend to work together with the Comhairle, the MoD and other stakeholders to find ways of achieving our goals and making North Uist a better, more attractive place to live and work,” said Robert Fraser, chair of NUDC.

“We believe the decision that emerged from the planning process on this occasion was wrong, and we reject entirely the notion that our project could not, through appropriate management, coexist with the operation of MoD’s radar. Nonetheless, we recognise we cannot continue to contest this point, and our main concern is to get the parties together to find a way forward.”

NUDC directors have been involved in a programme of meetings since the publication of the planning decision. These meetings have involved Alasdair Allan MSP, senior members and officers of the Comhairle, Community Energy Scotland and Local Energy Scotland. Urgent meetings are also being sought with Derek MacKay, Minister for Local Government and Planning, and Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism. Meanwhile, Angus MacNeil MP is to be asked to raise the issue with the MoD. It is hoped that by bringing political pressure to bear at the highest level, the MoD will agree to get involved in problem-solving with the local community.

A heartening aspect of the report that went to the Scottish Government, which informed its decision, was that the fragility and pressing needs of North Uist were well-recognised, particularly with regard to population decline and lack of employment and training opportunities. Although frustrated by the conclusions of the report, which NUDC believes favoured the MoD’s objection, the company nonetheless believes that the recognition of local needs, which the report embodies, will now act as a powerful lever with government in helping North Uist gain the support it needs.

North Uist is now the only area of the entire Western Isles which is not able to raise its own community funds, despite NUDC having worked on its renewable project for six years. NUDC welcomes the recent press comments from Donald John MacSween, chair of the Point & Sandwick Development Trust in Lewis, about spreading the £1m annual benefits of the Beinn Ghrideag wind farm throughout the islands.

NUDC does feel there is “room for manoeuvre” in its discussions with the MoD, since the objection had nothing to do with “defence of the realm” – a function which is carried out by an entirely separate radar system, which was not a factor in the refusal of the NUDC planning application. NUDC has always been willing to enter into discussions with the MoD about “mitigation”, which would include switching turbines off during periods of operation at Hebrides Range.

In its mission to develop a project which delivers community benefit, NUDC is willing to look at all options. One is to revisit the feasibility study, published in 2009, which originally identified the potential for a community-owned wind project. In the coming weeks, NUDC will be working closely with Community Energy Scotland towards an application to the Infrastructure & Innovation Fund, which aims to develop projects linking local energy generation with local energy use.

“While we are certainly not changing our view as to the importance of the wind resource in our location, we are keen to look at a holistic approach,” added Mr Fraser.

“We want to capture the resource that is available to us here and develop a green economy here as well. Such an approach might take generation from a variety of sources and technologies, such as wind, tidal, hydro and solar, maybe working together, and making these available to a variety of end-users or customers, including local ones, while also pioneering innovative storage and distribution techniques.”

Filed Under: News, Renewable Energy Tagged With: Ministry of Defence, North Uist Development Company, Renewable Energy, Turbines

NUDC statement on turbine project refusal

October 10, 2014

IMG_5343

North Uist Development Company has released the following statement after the Scottish Government’s decision to refuse planning permission for its proposed community windfarm at Locheport:

North Uist has been dealt a bitter blow this week with the announcement by the Scottish Government that they are refusing planning permission for North Uist Development Company’s wind turbine development at Locheport.

This project, which has taken four years to reach this point, would have delivered a cash benefit to the island in excess of £200,000 annually for 15 years, rising to more than £450,000 in the years after that – a massive injection of funds which could have made an enormous difference to the lives of people in our community.

Unfortunately the MoD belatedly decided to object to the project on the grounds (deemed by almost all those knowledgeable on the subject to be spurious) that wind turbines at the chosen location might cause interference to Range radar systems. This was despite the fact that in 2010 the MoD had assured NUDC that they would have no objection to the project.

The MoD intervention triggered a protracted process, with a public enquiry and a referral to the Scottish Government, the result of which we have this week.

“We feel that the North Uist community has been dealt an extremely bad hand here,” says Robert Fraser, chair of NUDC. “We are now virtually the only community in the islands which is not able to derive community benefit from the great wind resource we have. It is incredibly disappointing for all those who have worked on this project since 2009 when a community-sponsored feasibility study identified our wind resource as our best hope for community regeneration.

“This really is a kick in the teeth for North Uist, which will do nothing to stem population decline in our island, nothing to tackle unemployment and lack of opportunity for our young people and nothing to help make the lives of our older people more comfortable and enjoyable.

“I have to say we feel very let down by the lack of support from the Comhairle which, although it did eventually support our application in a vote of members, has issued a statement following this week’s Scottish Government announcement which makes barely any mention of the loss to the community this decision represents and more or less blames the community and NUDC for the protracted nature of the planning process.

“Coming hard as it does on the heels of the Comhairle’s decision to force us out of the former head teacher’s house in Bayhead and force the closure of the community resource and fledgling business centre we were just beginning to develop there, we do wonder if there is a pattern here and whether such flagrant disregard for the wishes of the community would be the norm if we were 50 miles nearer Stornoway, where most of the councillors’ votes are to be found.

“In terms of where we go from here, the directors of NUDC will be meeting as soon as possible to discuss our options, and we have already been assured by Community Energy Scotland that their resources will continue to be available to us, for which we are grateful. One thing we will certainly want to consider is that the community of North Uist is being denied the opportunity to benefit from its natural resources because of alleged interference with a radar system which is operated by the UK Government. On that basis it is only right that the UK Government compensates North Uist for the loss which we will incur over the next 20 years. Of one thing people can be sure – we exist to facilitate economic and cultural development in North Uist, and we will continue to do that with all possible vigour.”

Additional background information, including the Report to Scottish Government and the Decision Letter, are available to view at the NUDC website www.isleofnorthuist.com

Filed Under: News, Renewable Energy Tagged With: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Ministry of Defence, North Uist, North Uist Development Company, Renewable Energy, Turbines

Planning permission refused for North Uist windfarm

October 9, 2014

Visualisation of the two turbines planned for North Uist.

Visualisation of the two turbines planned for North Uist.

A community windfarm proposed for North Uist has been refused planning permission from the Scottish Government.

North Uist Development Company (NUDC) had planned to erect two 900kw turbines at Locheport.  When the project was first launched, it was estimated that the turbines could generate £179,000 in revenue annually for the first 15 years of operation, rising to £450,000 in years 15 – 20.

However, like several others from Uist, the development was subject to an objection from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

It argues that wind turbines can have detrimental effects on the operation of radar, including the desensitisation of radar, the creation of false aircraft returns, and obscuration of real aircraft targets.

In November last year, citing a lack of understanding about MoD concerns, councillors effectively ignored its objections and granted planning permission for the NUDC project and others from South Uist and Benbecula.

Subsequently, the cases were passed to the Scottish Government. It commissioned a reporter to consider the matter and make recommendations to ministers. A hearing, chaired by the reporter, was held in Balivanich in June.

Today, the verdict of the reporter – and consequently the Scottish Government – was made known.

A letter sent to NUDC states: “Scottish Ministers have carefully considered the reporter’s report of the hearing. They agree with the reporter’s conclusions and adopt them for the purposes of their own decision and accept the reporter’s recommendation.

“Accordingly, Scottish Ministers hereby refuse planning permission for the erection of 2 wind turbines at Locheport, North Uist.

“The foregoing decision of Scottish Ministers is final, subject to the right conferred by Sections 237 and 239 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 of any person aggrieved by the decision to apply to the Court of Session within 6 weeks of the date hereof. On any such application the Court may quash the decision if satisfied that it is not within the powers of the Act, or that the appellant’s interests have been substantially prejudiced by a failure to comply with any requirements of the Act, or of the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992, or any orders, regulations or rules made under these Acts.

“A copy of this letter and the report has been sent to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Ministry of Defence. All parties who made representations will be notified of the decision.”

More on this story to follow…

Filed Under: News, Renewable Energy Tagged With: Ministry of Defence, North Uist Development Company, NUDC, Renewable Energy, Turbines

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