(For official use only) PUBLIC PETITION NO. PE1095 Should you wish to submit a public petition for consideration by the Public Petitions Committee please refer to the guidance leaflet entitled “How to submit a public petition”. 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 Scottish Parliament 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 Scotland 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 North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire 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, Murray Tosh, 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, Kilmacolm, 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 Lochwinnoch 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.