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Caithness Courier headlines for March 20, 2013

A FAR North councillor has sought assurances that Caithness will enjoy a slice of a predicted jobs boom, after plans to build a giant wind farm - one of the world's largest - off its coast, were backed. Moray Offshore Renewbles Ltd £4.5 billion project in the Outer Moray Firth won the support of Highland councillors in Inverness, yesterday. Members of the north planning applications committee went along with the plans for three wind farms that could result in 339 turbines springing up about 12 miles of Caithness.

CAITHNESS RUGBY XV emnerged uyscathed from their last home encounter in which they scored a last-gasp win over local rivals Orkney in Thurso. That is more than can be said for die-hard support Hilda Morrison. She couldn't bear to watch the winning kick being taken, turned round, tripped on a kerbstone and fell to the ground, ending up with her right arm in a sling.

THE £2.2 million cost of a new firearms training range at Dounreay has been questioned by a Caithness Highland councillor, Roger Saxon who represents Thurso, raised the issue at a recent meeting of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group. There has been concern raised by members of the public, about the proposed range on Nuclear Decommissioning Authority-owned land between the licensed site and Upper Dounreay. The concerns relate to the proximity of the facility to houses and the noise which would be created by the firearmns.

A MAJOR new housing development in Caithness, comprising 34 homes and a shop, has been given the green light by Highland councillors despite local opposition. Developer Scotia Homes got the go-ahead to build the properties at Castlehill Steadings in Castletown, and on nearby farmland. It will see the company convert the steadings which are made of Caithness stone and were built to support the harbour and related fishing activities to provide six houses on a site next to the village's harbour.

DOUNREAY'S operators are predicting it may take up to four vaults to store all the solid low level radioactive debris generated from the clean-up of the redundant nuclear reactor site. Project manager Mike Tait said that within the next two years, they would be looking to start building a third sub-surface container, with a fourth a possibility. His comments come as the first two vaults near completion at the dump being designed to store up to 000 cubic metres of waste.

SCOTTISH Energy Minister Fergyus Ewing should apologise pyublic for "not correcting a myth" about the cost of renewable energy to consummers, according to Caithness anti-wind farm campaigner Stuart Young. Mr Young, of Caithness Windfarm Information Forum has lodged a formal complaint against Mr Ewing, with the Scottish Parliament.