YOUR VIEWS: Loch Ness hydro fears, Highland roads and keeping children safe
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Show the evidence for hydro claims
Open letter to David Rodger, Statera Business Development Director Scotland:
Open letter regarding your press statements in defence of the Loch Kemp Pumped Storage Hydro scheme.
In the article “Fears energy schemes will ‘play havoc’ with Loch Ness” in the Inverness Courier of January 5, 2024 you are quoted at some length making numerous claims regarding the impact of your proposed Loch Kemp PSH scheme. They include the following:
1. “Far from causing problems for water levels in Loch Ness, the opposite is the case”. How can the introduction of huge daily variations in loch levels possibly do anything other than cause problems for Loch Ness, its many users, and the River Ness?
2. “Pumped storage hydro schemes can help tackle the issues being caused by climate change by releasing water during dry periods and storing water to help flood management”. Exactly how would such water management be operated/regulated/controlled and by whom? The idea of releasing water during dry spells is fanciful; where did the water come from in the first place?
3. “The impact of the Kemp scheme is likely to marginally increase the fluctuations in Loch Ness but no more so than occurs through natural weather patterns today.” How can a daily drawdown of up to 2ft 5in be deemed in any way natural? Water levels change slowly in natural lochs, in particular Loch Ness, especially when levels are dropping.
4. “The shoreline ecology thrives despite these fluctuating levels and there is no reason that will change.” Where is the evidence that sudden fluctuations up and down by as much as 2ft 5in will not negatively impact the shoreline ecology?
5. He said it would not increase the temperature or impact on the natural currents of Loch Ness, or have any negative impact on dolphins in the Moray Firth (indirect quote). Where is your evidence on temperature, natural currents and dolphins?
6. Extensive assessments in the last two years were in the environmental impact assessment (indirect quote regarding your contention that there is a lack of “evidence that the Foyers scheme has any detrimental impact on salmon smolt and we will be installing the same protective measures at our inlets as exist at Foyers”). Where exactly are these “extensive” assessments? We are not aware of any studies into the impact of pump storage hydro on salmon smolt migration; there are certainly none in your environmental impact assessment. What specific evidence is there that a bubble curtain fish deterrent will be an effective solution, or relevant mitigation in an open water location?
None of the above are addressed directly by the Environmental Impact Assessment submitted with the November 20, 2023 planning application. Accordingly, in the interests of transparency, please can you give full details of the evidence you have (including references where appropriate) to substantiate the bold claims you have made in each of the above statements.
We would be happy to meet with you to discuss our concerns. Your prompt responses to the above will assist in informing us prior to any such meeting.
Please note that our views and concerns reflect the comprehensive independent report by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research titled “A review of the environmental impacts of proposed pumped storage hydropower projects in Loch Ness: implications for migrating Atlantic salmon”. It is accessible at https://shorturl.at/jmtAU
Brian Shaw
Director
Ness District Salmon Fishery Board
Roads budget should be better targeted
There seems to be a ‘National something day’ every day of the week. Last week campaign group Round Our Way took advantage of National Potholes Day to inform us that the number of potholes in Scotland had risen by nearly 50 per cent over the last year to a five year high. COSLA warns that things will get worse due to budget pressures.
With the average repair of a damaged wheel or spring estimated to be £250 by the AA, drivers face a hefty bill, and only one in six will make a successful pothole claim. Potholes are dangerous too, ie damaged cars pulled up on dangerous corners. My wife, a keen cyclist, talks about the danger of swerving to avoid potholes and the impact that has when a car is overtaking her.
What is the impact of tourists who see the terrible state of our roads. They must see us as country falling into decline. As tourist numbers grow, so we need the transport infrastructure to be improved.
In November, in England, Sunak announced an extra £8.3b to tackle the “scourge of the pothole” over the next 11 years. So what is the position in Scotland? As we know Transport Scotland is responsible for the trunk roads and the Highland Council with smaller routes. Highland Council is suffering from severe cuts in the 85 per cent of funding it receives from the Scottish Government.
It’s not just potholes, it’s capital investment that is an issue. A Freedom of Information request to Transport Scotland revealed that Scottish Government spending on major road projects has been declining steadily, from £193m in 2017/18 to £26m in 22/23, a period where the SNP have had an electoral pact with the anti-car Green party. Transport Scotland has a massive £3.5b budget, tellingly £320m is being spent in the coming year on “active travel”.
A senior public servant told a conference in Fort William that Transport Scotland was the worst public sector body in the whole of the UK. I can quite believe it. Just consider Calmac ferry replacements, the Corran, Rest and Be Thankful, the A9 and A82 alongside Loch Lomond etc.
We need excellent safe roads in rural Scotland. The active travel element of the Transport Scotland budget should be redirected to our road network.
Angus MacDonald
Highland Councillor and Lib Dem candidate for the Westminster seat of Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
Letters should be submitted to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk. Please include your address and a daytime contact number. You can also tweet us: @InvCourier or leave a comment on Facebook @invernesscourier
