View Full Version : Camster Cairns Windfarm now announced, where is next?
Is the information that I have recieved correct? A Wind Farm adjacent to "The Grey Cairns " at Campster?
If so ..then all north of Hadrian's Wall should be voting the local councillors outta office!
There is one currently in the Planning Stage. It is for 25 Turbines for E.ON UK. Renewables and is to be on the opposite side of the County Road to the Cairns and within a few hundred yards/metres of them.
Metalattakk
20-Apr-07, 02:45
Oh OK, right. So they're not actually knocking the cairns down to build them then? Cool.
Can't see the issue, to be honest.
Oh OK, right. So they're not actually knocking the cairns down to build them then? Cool.
Can't see the issue, to be honest.
Might not see the issue but one will certainly see the turbines.
They are growing up everywhere and ruining the Scottish landscape for little return. There is no real evidence that windfarms will be anything like able to provide enough energy to replace nuclear power or any of the the other traditional forms of energy production and indeed some say that they will actually not even be cost efective.
Tourism is a growth industry but will soon slow to a halt if we blight the landscape with those monstrosities.
concerned resident
20-Apr-07, 08:18
I am afraid planning is now a farce in the County, Our Councillors state planning laws and regulations, then over ride them when ever they please, for there own a genders. The planning laws and regulations are out dated, and are only damaging the County. This is now just a steady income of funds for Highland Council, While providing a bureaucratic
System, and overridden again by the Scottish Executive. Unfortunately, until such time as
We get independent and fresh thinking people in place, who’s actions are in the best interests of Caithness and not Highland, Edinburgh, or Westminster. We are just going to be the people in the far north, who they don’t give a dam for, except at election times.
thebigman
21-Apr-07, 09:29
The planning laws and regulations are out dated, and are only damaging the County.
The latest Planning Act is less than 6 months old so you can't really say that it's out of date!
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/26102050/0
concerned resident
21-Apr-07, 14:56
The Gig Man - The latest Planning Act is less than 6 months old so you can't really say that it's out of date!
Sorry I did not realize they had implemented more bureaucracy and regulations, could not see the price increases, I expect they will come later. The system is two expensive and as an example, they implement there own views as to what type of roof you may have, even if there roof does not blend in with the surrounding houses, if you state you would like a roof like the other houses, they just state it will fail and not get permission. The hole system is quite unsatisfactory, and the only reason people put up with it is, they think they will only have to do it once. So why bother.
If you don't want to see turbines in every direction, then get objecting. It's made as easy as can be online on http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk/
and although Yarrows is technically past its deadline you can object for a few more days. Camster is also on there now. These people don't care about things like ancient cairns and standing stones - they just want money.
HomeFixit
21-Apr-07, 20:56
Thanks Badger, for that website - I didn't realise objecting was so easy!
I really hate the idea of Caithness covered in windfarms so that the city folk can continue their love affair with using energy without a care. More needs to be done to curb electricity consumption instead of ruining our wild places.
However, the odd small windfarm here or there can be quite picturesque and an interesting feature on the landscape. I've even seen them made into a tourist attraction with a very interesting visitor centre when I was in Australia. If the Camster site does do ahead they should insist on making it a tourist attraction so that at least it attracts tourists down the road to visit the cairns at the same time. We should follow Orkney's lead - they do such a good job of promoting their archaeological sites - we should do the same in Caithness.
ywindythesecond
21-Apr-07, 23:50
Hot on the heels of the Yarrows Archaeological Trail Windfarm debacle, the Camster Cairns Windfarm Planning application has been lodged. Where is next?
Check www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk (http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk)
I'm all for alternative ways of generating 'energy' but when it spoils a beauty spot, no. If they are out of sight and out of mind then I think it's a good thing.but there are exceptions to every rule... Just look at the windmills on e cassie mire:D
I am all for reducing energy useage, perhaps we should stop reproducing?:confused because that is the only way we can reduce energy useage apart from closing down power plants and oil refineries. So long as they produce money then that is never gonna happen because humans are hedonistic, end of story.
I'm afraid the anti-wind farm lobby has been hijacked by left wing/anti-globalist groups whose main rhetoric is always the making of money is something to be ashamed of.
peter macdonald
22-Apr-07, 00:29
" I'm afraid the anti-wind farm lobby has been hijacked by left wing/anti-globalist groups "
Nah Rheggers Im not sure about the left wing bittie More anarchist really
(sorry to get technical!!)
PM
I am neither left wing/anti globalist or anarchist - I just wish there was a little more thought put into the siting of these farms.
I flew back across Poland and Germany recently and the one thing which stood out amongst all the other usual sights from 33,000ft were the wind farms.
There were masses of them. And they were obvious. OK, so man's impact on the Earths surface from that height included roads and towns and these were everywhere too. But I was surprised at how the wind turbines really stood out of the landscape. I could see the blades turning, the access roads snaking around the sites. And this was in a setting of pretty high development.
And aswe approached the Channel the positioning of the turbines changed - they were on river banks or along coastal areas. Still there but a little less obvious strung out aroud ports. Not 'greenfield' sites but what appeared to be areas of heavy industrial use.
I therefore hate to imagine how they would stick out in the relative wilderness of the far north of Scotland.
The truth is that all the major political parties talk of economic growth without a nod to the fact that such growth comes with a large carbon footprint. We either go one way or the other, hard choices need to be made.
changilass
22-Apr-07, 01:27
Not happy at the idea of the windfarm near the cairns, but if they do get the go ahead, lets hope they make it a condition that they have to improve the road to the cairns so that it is easier for the tourists we do get to visit.
The Scottish Executive have decided that they will have the ultimate say on planning decisions about Wind Energy Factories and not the Local Authorities.
I will guarantee that there won't be any of the monstrosities within a few hundred yards/metres of Stonehenge or the Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.
Caithness? Who cares, nobody goes there anyway.
Changilass, it would seem that they will not be using the Camster Road. The intention is to land the parts at the Harbour at Wick and transport them via Tannach and use the Forestry Roads to get to the site.
The truth is that all the major political parties talk of economic growth without a nod to the fact that such growth comes with a large carbon footprint. We either go one way or the other, hard choices need to be made.
If a fraction of the money being given to developers to build windfarms and taken from us in increased electricity bills was spent on serious conservation measures and carbon extraction in industry, we wouldn't need all these turbines. Houses etc. can be built without any need for artificial heating - they just need to change the building regs. We could all have solar panels if the government put money into grants instead of ROCs, which energy experts now admit are a huge mistake. They have finally decided only energy-saving light bulbs should be available in a few years' time, this should have been done long ago together with all appliances being made more economical. Why are tv's etc. still produced that can be left on standby?
The Scottish Exec. made the promise of renewable energy because they're lazy and incapable of serious thought. Much easier to cover the country in turbines than take more detailed action. Why make themselves unpopular by turning out unecessary lights and reducing heating so that in winter office workers etc. actually have to wear winter clothes? People don't want to give up their comforts. They would rather ruin our priceless heritage, which once lost can never be replaced.
We don't need windfarms. Sadly too few people care.
Wind farms are unsightly, do the environment no favors and appear to provide little benefit rather than an ego trip for government coupled with a few greased palms. Ah but they produce jobs they may say. I know the wind farm at Spittal were installed by a company from the south of Ireland using their own workers and have returned on occasion for maintenance once completed.[disgust]
Do you mean Causeymire? Spittal isn't built but it's coming - any day now. Very large, up on the hill and visible all over Caithness. You ain't seen nothing yet [disgust]
Thanks for posting that link, badger.
I tend to think I should stay out of Caithness affairs and not intrude!
But just because this isn't happening in my back yard doesn't mean I don't care about it...so I've signed up....:)
celtic 302
23-Apr-07, 13:16
OK, i'll admit that windfarms aint pretty, but if we dont find ways to get green energy, then in the end we will not be alive to complain about them destroying the landscape. You just have to accept that good things come with a price tag, and the price tag is us having to look at them. And BTW, will they really cause you such distress to view them everyday?
celtic 302
23-Apr-07, 13:22
Thanks for posting that link, badger.
I tend to think I should stay out of Caithness affairs and not intrude!
But just because this isn't happening in my back yard doesn't mean I don't care about it...so I've signed up....:)
This may sound a weird question Angela, but why do you care? and what is it you care about? Is it that these turbines will stop the landscape from looking beautiful? well in the end, and i know it is along way away, if we dont find ways to create energy we will go back to nomadic times or we might even be jsut plain dead. You may think im over doing this, but that the scenario. In 100 years, or 1000 or 1billion, if we havent found ways to get renewable energy, we will be back to stone age life. But strangely you dont seem to mind this. You would rather we use oil till we have no more. Coal till we have no more. And, im not big on global warming, but if its true, its not just renewable, its green
The turbines will create energy for people around Scotland, so you might be using the energy, but the Turbines wont be affecting you, like they wont be affecting us.
If wind turbines were really going to contribute to our energy problems and if they could do it without a) using masses of energy in their creation and b) destroying peat, archaeology, birds and other wildlife etc......, I wouldn't mind the look of them so much. However the approach to them has been very badly handled and the planning of their locations is simply chaotic. We have enough turbines in Caithness for our own needs so any more has to be transported south via an upgraded grid - huge pylons - losing power en route. If they were a sensible answer to energy shortage they should be sensibly located. The reason they are trying to build so many up here, apart of course from the money to be made by developers and landowners, is that we're so far away they think we don't matter and Caithness is known to be windy. There are other options - solar for instance - but they have put all the money into wind so have little left for other less destructive options. Look at the website if you want to see what is happening to Caithness.
Covering Caithness in turbines is not going to have any impact on world energy problems. We need better technology and less waste. Solar power is an obvious answer for many developing countries. I have a clockwork/solar powered radio several years old that was originally invented for use in Africa. When every building in the country has solar panels of some kind (and they don't need sun to work) and when everything powered by electricity is turned off if not in use, maybe I'll concede we could do with wind turbines.
Tackling waste would save masses of energy and some governments are starting to do it in a small way but not nearly enough.
This may sound a weird question Angela, but why do you care? and what is it you care about? Is it that these turbines will stop the landscape from looking beautiful? well in the end, and i know it is along way away, if we dont find ways to create energy we will go back to nomadic times or we might even be jsut plain dead. You may think im over doing this, but that the scenario. In 100 years, or 1000 or 1billion, if we havent found ways to get renewable energy, we will be back to stone age life. But strangely you dont seem to mind this. You would rather we use oil till we have no more. Coal till we have no more. And, im not big on global warming, but if its true, its not just renewable, its green
The turbines will create energy for people around Scotland, so you might be using the energy, but the Turbines wont be affecting you, like they wont be affecting us.
It's a reasonable question, celtic302.
I was all in favour of windfarms until I moved to an area with windfarms - before that I'd thought people were just exaggerating the scale of the turbines.
Why should I care -well, why shouldn't I care? I do care about the countryside, not just what it looks like.
I think you'll find I didn't say I don't mind using oil and coal till we have no more! In fact I do try to live as "green" a lifestyle as I can, but most of us still, myself included, continue to use far too much energy.
What concerns me is the cumulative impact of these developments. Once they've destroyed the environment it can't be put back together again.:(
Ok. I have been looking through all the arguments etc., and it makes me smile every time we have debates about wind farms, i.e. who can see them; who is getting money from them, etc., etc., but not one word is mentioned about the hot spots that have been created on the beaches by Dounreay and how Dounreay have generally mucked up the environment in Caithness. That is probably to do with the out of sight out of mind mentality, in other words you can’t see it so who gives a damn. It is the one good reason why we should have wind farms or greener energy. It would be interesting to know how many wind farm objectors work at Dounreay
It would be interesting to know how many wind farm objectors work at Dounreay
I don't.....
If wind turbines were really going to contribute to our energy problems and if they could do it without a) using masses of energy in their creation ..... I wouldn't mind the look of them so much. ...There are other options - solar for instance
I believe that solar energy takes the longest to recoup its energy of manufacture. Plus what is the cost of a solar kwh? I think you find it is quite expensive.
However the approach to them has been very badly handled and the planning of their locations is simply chaotic.
That is a rather ironic statement because the HRES got a vehement reaction from anti-windies.
but they have put all the money into wind so have little left for other less destructive options.
I feel I am being mislead by your statement. Are you saying there is just one body here with one pot of money? I don't think so. The bulk of the move to RE is financed and researched by private companies who are subject to market forces like anything else.
Covering Caithness in turbines is not going to have any impact on world energy problems.
Not even a little?:confused I am sure it is a little, so if everyone is doing their bit then hopefully things aren't so bleak. Global warming isn't going to 'cured' by Caithnessian windfarms alone.
Solar power is an obvious answer for many developing countries. I have a clockwork/solar powered radio several years old that was originally invented for use in Africa. When every building in the country has solar panels of some kind (and they don't need sun to work) and when everything powered by electricity is turned off if not in use, maybe I'll concede we could do with wind turbines.
If solar energy is so expensive then why should developing countries entertain it?
We could all have solar panels if the government put money into grants instead of ROCs, which energy experts now admit are a huge mistake.
Government money doesn't fund the Renewable Obligation, it is funded by bill payers. But you suggest we get a 100% grant for a system that is inefficient at northern latitudes, despite what the salesmen say. The taxpayer would have to pay for them somehow which extra stealth tax would you suggest?
The bottom line is that large windfarm developments are most efficient in one of the windiest parts of the country. Failure to meet our RE targets will lead to fines from the EU, who do you think will pay for those?
There is exciting developments coming from the Pelamis project which will soon be in operation in Orkney but even that will not be enough. We need large onshore wind to add to the mix of renewables.
It would be interesting to know how many wind farm objectors work at Dounreay I must confess that I've driven past there a couple of times.
The suggestions often made about objectors simply being those who work at Dounreay shows a definite parochial attitude. For that suggestion to stand scrutiny would involve a vast number of people from all over Scotland travelling many hundreds of miles every day to get to work.
Neither do the obvious scare tactics of claiming that Caithness has been turned into some sort of environmental disaster area by the presence of Dounreay stand up to scrutiny.
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