More than 100 people are expected to attend a Convention of Community Councils this weekend calling on the Scottish Government to pause all renewable energy projects amid a deluge of towering pylons and wind turbines sweeping across the North East’s countryside.
Around 125 community councils from Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee and Moray have been invited to the event, which takes place at Stonehaven Town Hall on Saturday at 11.30am.
It follows growing concerns over proposals for around 1,300 energy projects that are in the pipeline for Scotland.
The convention will underline the depth of anger and frustration at the high number of wind farms, solar parks, battery storage units and pylon corridors planned for the region.
Those in attendance will call for urgent debates to be held in the Scottish Parliament and Westminster over the impact of renewable energy developments on communities.
Among the politicians who are attending the event are West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie, and North East MSP Douglas Lumsden, while SNP energy secretary Gillian Martin has also been invited.
The event comes just weeks after controversial plans for a new network of 550 electricity pylons across the Highlands and the North East were officially submitted to the Scottish Government.
Aberdeenshire councillor Tracey Smith, who is the co-founder of the Save Our Mearns campaign group, wants the Scottish Government to pause all new renewable project applications until they have a coherent energy strategy in place.
The Scottish Conservative candidate for Angus North and Mearns at next year’s Scottish Parliament election, who is chairing the event on the day, said: “Saturday’s Convention of Community Councils will bring community representatives together to voice concerns about the growing number of renewable energy projects that are being railroaded into our areas without our say.
“Supporting our rural communities also means protecting our beautiful landscape and ensuring it is not damaged unnecessarily by new energy infrastructure.
“Yet our voices are being ignored as we are witnessing the desecration of our countryside on our doorstep, causing misery and financial hardship to homeowners across the North East.
“Farmers are also facing the loss of prime agricultural land, at a time when our food security has never been so important during these uncertain times.
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“Not once has a Scottish Government minister met with us, which is why we have invited SNP energy secretary Gillian Martin to finally listen to our concerns.
“Local communities must be front and centre of any proposals and should have a veto when it comes to new energy infrastructure being built.
“We hope this weekend’s event will be the start of giving communities a genuine and meaningful voice at the table as we demand that these projects are paused until a proper energy strategy is put in place by the Scottish Government.”
