(For official use only) PUBLIC PETITION NO. PE1095

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NAME OF PRINCIPAL PETITIONER: Sybil Simpson TEXT OF PETITION: The petition should clearly state what action the petitioner wishes the Parliament to take in no more than 5 lines of text, e.g. “Petition by John Smith, on behalf of Edinburgh Community Council, calling for the to consider and debate the need for new legislation to tackle anti-social behaviour.” Petition by Sybil Simpson on behalf of the Save Your Regional Parks campaign, calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Executive to provide greater protection for the National and Regional Parks of from industrialisation, including wind farms and their associated quarries, roads, cable trenches and sub-stations. ACTION TAKEN TO RESOLVE ISSUES OF CONCERN BEFORE SUBMITTING PETITION: Before submitting a petition to the Parliament, petitioners are expected to have made an attempt to resolve their issues of concern by, for example, making representations to the Scottish Executive or seeking the assistance of locally elected representatives, such as councillors, MSPs and MPs. Please provide a summary of the action you have taken to resolve your issue of concern including details of elected representatives you have approached. The organisation Ladymoor Wind Factory Action Group has written numerous letters throughout 2006/07 to ALL members of the Scottish Parliament, Scottish MPs and MEPS requesting the protection of National and Regional Parks for a variety of reasons. Members of the group have met with all Leaders of the Councils of , and Inverclyde in order to make their case for protection of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

Members of the group have attended the surgeries of Douglas Alexander, MP, Katy Clark, MP Trish Godman, MSP, Allan Wilson, MSP, Annabel Goldie, MSP, , MSP, Ross Finnie, MSP Campbell Martin, MSP and we have had written responses from Bruce McPhee, MSP and others.

Members of the group have met with those Councillors from the three Local Authorities which manage Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park in order to advise them of our support for the Park’s aims.

Members of the group have attended Community Councils meetings to outline our concerns for the future of CMRP and its role in our vibrant tourist industry around the Park. These councils are Beith, Bridge of Weir, Dalry, Howwood, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay, Kilbirnie, Kilbarchan, , Largs and Skelmorlie and as a result all support our aims.

1 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Provide any additional information relevant to your petition and set out the reasons why you consider the action requested to be necessary. This information will be made available to Members of the Committee prior to its consideration of your petition and should be limited to no more than 4 sides of A4. If you wish to use the e- petitioner system your additional information will be posted on the web page with your petition and you may provide further sources/links to background information.

SECTION THREE - PETITION

The purpose of this petition is to raise awareness throughout Scotland that National and Regional Parks are under serious threat from wind farm developers. It is important to note that as the petitioner, I am not against wind farms and I am a strong supporter of green energy. Scotland depends on tourism as a significant source of revenue and thousands come to the country in order to savour and enjoy the wonderful wild and unspoiled landscapes which epitomise our nation. When designating areas for wind farm development, it would indeed be foolish if we did not take our time before decisions are made in order to protect these landscapes of great national value and economic importance. The purpose of this petition is to urge the Scottish Parliament to, either by law or policy, protect our National and Regional Parks from industrial developments including wind farms and their associated quarries, roads, cable trenches, sub-stations and new overhead power lines..

Before the Scottish Parliament was created, the Secretary of State for Scotland agreed to the designation of three Regional parks which were Areas of Great Landscape Value (AGLVs)and natural beauty. In 1999 when the Scottish Parliament came into being, the MSPs created a second category - National Parks. National and Regional Parks have been created to benefit residents, tourists and set aside particular areas to allow species of flora, fauna, birds and animals which are essentially Scottish , to flourish and multiply.

As an example of what we are fighting for, I quote from the website of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park:

Aims & Objectives

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is a ‘Park for People’

The Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Authority adopted the following as its Aims in September 2006 To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, biodiversity and cultural heritage of Clyde Muirshiel Park To encourage and enable learning, understanding and enjoyment of Clyde Muirshiel Park To promote and foster environmentally sustainable development for the social and economic well-being of the people and communities within the Clyde Muirshiel Park area.

Objectives and Areas of Activity

Biodiversity and Conservation Built Heritage and Historic Features Landscape Understanding and Enjoyment Recreation and Access Tourism Social and Economic Well being

2 Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is truly “a jewel in the crown” of the Central Belt. It is important to understand the purpose of a Regional Park in its locale. According to the Oxford English Dictionary a park is defined as a “large tract of land kept in a natural state for public benefit”. That defines exactly the aims and the objectives of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and it is effective and efficient in its purpose. To change the Park into an industrial estate is radically changing the definition of the word “park“. If Governments and Local Planning Authorities allow this to happen, then they are effectively saying that the opinions of both residents and foreign visitors are not important and that land owners and wind farm developers can do as they wish. As a generation we, including the current Members of the Scottish Parliament, have enjoyed the Park in its natural state and in effect, if the industrialisation occurs, then we are leaving behind for the next generation nothing other than an industrialised region and not a Park.

The Regional Parks take up 1.1% of Scotland’s land mass and the National Parks cover a slightly greater amount of land. Regional Parks are mainly close to the densely populated areas of the central belt and have been described as the “great green lungs” of the cities and towns close by.

The term the “great green lungs” has been coined for two reasons. Much of the Park land is peat and blanket bog which, according to the scientists, acts as a carbon sink and therefore assists in clearing the contaminated air from the nearby cities. In fact professional environmentalists regard blanket bogs as important as rain forests in the global environment. Even if the science is questionable, there is no doubt that serious disruption of blanket bog means that large amounts of carbon emissions will be released into the atmosphere. Secondly these areas allow town and city residents in particular to enjoy and sample the delights of the rural countryside within a day’s travelling time.

Since these Parks have been created a significant tourist trade has been built up around these areas which are now an essential economic powerhouse for the smaller rural communities. As an example I will use Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park again. Around the Park, many villages such as and Kilbirnie enjoyed an industrial past many decades ago. Both villages experienced serious lack of employment opportunities from the 50s to 80s. Over the past twenty or more years, considerable employment is now available from cafes, gift and specialist shops, bed and breakfast units and there is continuing inward investment by companies in this area vis a vis housing, etc to cope with the increase in employment. Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park attracts well over 1,000,000 visitors per year who are interested in rambling, bird watching, mountain biking, picnicking, hill walking and running, etc and because the area close to the Park and the Clyde coast makes it an attractive place for commuters to live. Scottish Natural Heritage states that there has been 30% increase in the number of visiting Scottish adults to the countryside since 1994 generating approximately £257 million per annum. There are currently 10 wind farm companies progressing a possible total of 280 giant wind turbines within the Park. This will undoubtedly have an effect on visitors to the area because much of the beauty of the Park will be destroyed through construction and the birds, etc will find other territory.

Much of the Park could be described as Heights covered in peat and to consider major construction in such an area could lead to serious peat slides, change of water courses, flooding in nearby villages. Take the example of Braes of Doune where a site of Special Scientific Interest has been contaminated through the construction of a wind farm. The possibilities of a similar or even grater disaster happening in and around these parks is very real when you study the contours of those Parks.

In order that the nation moves forward in a careful and logical manner, all local authorities produce a Local Plan which feeds into a larger Structure Plan. One of the issues local authorities have to address when constructing a Structure Plan is to designate a preferred

3 site/sites where wind farm development could take place. In a recent letter to the press regarding wind farm development, Allan Wilson, former Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, outlined the need for decisions to be “plan led” rather than “developer led”, which implies that local authority Structure Plans should be integral to any decision regarding a planning application for a wind farm. In order to support this guideline, the Scottish Planning Policy 6 for Renewable Energy reiterates this sentiment. In fact, it could be interpreted that there may be a presumption against the development of sites in any area until the capacity of those preferred sites is exhausted. Again using the example of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, the reason developers are interested in this particular area is because there is an underused grid running from Inverkip and by connecting to this, it would be significantly more profitable for both landowners and developers.

One aspect of the petitioning process is that there should be considerable public interest in this aspect of life in Scotland. Once again I will use the findings of the Ladymoor Wind Factory Action Group as an example of the public interest focussed on one of the Regional Parks, Clyde Muirshiel. This group have held many public meetings in the following villages - Beith, Kilbirnie, Lochwinnoch, Bridge of Weir, Kilmacolm, Inverkip, Skelmorlie, Kilbarchan, Dalry and Wemyss Bay and the size of the audience has ranged from 200 to well over 300. The group has well over 600 paid up members and membership is continually increasing. We also have thousands of supporters around the Park who send objection letters to the local authorities when each planning application for a wind farm in the Park occurs. The organisation has the full backing of the Community Councils in Beith, Kilbirnie, Lochwinnoch, Bridge of Weir, Largs, Howwood, Kilmacolm, Inverkip, Skelmorlie, Kilbarchan, Dalry, Bute and Wemyss Bay and they in their turn, have organised public meetings to gauge their residents opinions on the issue of wind farms in Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. The outcome of these Community Council meetings has been an overwhelming vote against the industrialisation of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and in similar parks. It is fair to report that we also have considerable support from hundreds of tourists who visit the area and in particular, many sailors who use Largs and Inverkip marinas have informed us that if the Park becomes a wind farm centre, they will undoubtedly seek another marina as their base.

Finally the Land Reform Act allows members of the public the “right to roam” for pleasure or sport over our hills and glens. Clyde Muirshiel is a legitimate and recognised Park where the “right to roam” should be freely available. It will only take one visit to the Dalry wind farm situated in the Park to assess whether or not the rights of the general public are being upheld. Signs are on permanent display informing the general public as follows: “Construction site - Keep Out”, “CCTV in Operation”, “Bio-security in Operation”, “All walkers and dogs remain on path”, “Access - dogs on leads - no dogs in April”. Six bar gates are locked and the only entrance is a narrow footpath gate. Anyone with either a horse or a bike will require to lift both over the footpath gate to gain entry. Certain signs on wind farms in other parts of the country are quite alarming and would certainly deter anyone from entering land where wind farms exist. For example “Visitors weather warning - ICING During wet or freezing conditions there is a risk that ice can form on the blades of the wind turbines. Please do not enter the wind farm in these conditions”. Another example is “Please do not enter the wind farm during lightning conditions. If a lightning storm starts during your visit, please leave the site immediately”. This type of control of the public should not be part of a Regional Park which is designed for people to roam and enjoy. This is why all of our National and Regional Parks should be free of wind farms or any other form of industrialisation.

The Scottish Minister for Energy, , when considering the proposed Corlic Hill Windfarm destined for Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, concluded that, in view of the unacceptable impacts of the proposal on the safe operation of Airport and the recreational use and amenity of CMRP, consent should be withheld and the planning application rejected. The Minister’s decision is a reflection of the thinking of many people in

4 Scotland. For example I am aware that over 3,000 objections will be submitted to North Ayrshire Council against Wind Hydrogen’s proposal for a 24 turbine wind farm in Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.. These objections carry many arguments but common to all is the strong message “No wind turbines in a Regional Park”. It is my fervent hope that the Scottish Parliament will debate my petition and uphold Jim Mather’s logic in order to protect Regional and National Parks for present and future generations..

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children” . John J Audubon 1785-1851.

5 E-PETITION: Before submitting a petition formally to the Parliament, petitioners may wish to use the Parliament’s e-petition system to promote their petition. The system allows a petition to be hosted on the parliament’s website (http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/) for an agreed period, providing an opportunity to attract a wider audience and gather more names in support of the petition. Each e-petition has its own discussion forum, where visitors and supporters can discuss and debate the petition and related issues. When the agreed period for hosting a petition on-line ends, the petition is formally submitted to the Public Petitions Committee for consideration in the usual way. Should you wish to use this system please provide the further information requested below. Please note, if you wish to make use of the e-petition system, you should submit your completed template by e-mail to the address provided below. Do you wish your petition to be hosted on the Parliament’s website as an e-petition?

YES X NO

If “Yes” please enter a closing date for gathering signatures on your petition, (we would usually recommend a period of around 6 weeks; please also provide at least one comment to set the scene for an on-line discussion on the petition, not exceeding 10 lines of text.

CLOSING DATE:

1 October 2007

COMMENTS TO STIMULATE ON-LINE DISCUSSION: Please provide at least one comment to set the scene for an on-line discussion on the petition, not exceeding 10 lines of text.

I support green energy but wisdom must prevail. There are only three Regional Parks in Scotland which have been set up because of their natural assets (beauty, wildlife, rare flora and fauna as well as glorious solitude) in order that anyone, both resident and tourist , can savour that which is quintessentially Scotland. Assets such as Regional Parks once destroyed are irreplaceable – we must preserve these for future generations to enjoy.

EMAIL ADDRESS: Please provide an email address which will be published on the e-petition site. [email protected]

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