There ARE alternatives | Renewable Energy Developments & Alternatives to Onshore Wind (alone)
Proposed to be delivered through an energy mix and Scot Gov acknowledges and agrees that “Offshore wind presents a transformational opportunity to grow our economy”
Response received: From Scot Gov > To Rob Aitkinson, SNCC, 30 March 2026
DIRECTORATE FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Rob Atkinson
Our Reference: 202600508623
30 March 2026
Dear Rob Atkinson,
Thank you for your email of 25 February to the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, following the Convention of Community Councils meeting on 24 February. As an official within the Directorate for Energy and Climate Change, I have been asked to respond.
The Scottish Government understands the concerns raised by communities across Scotland in relation to energy infrastructure. For a fair transition to a net zero economy, it is vital that individuals can have their say on proposed new developments and see clear benefits from them.
Planning and Consenting
The Planning and Infrastructure Act has recently afforded new powers to Scottish Ministers to make regulations to mandate developers to engage with local communities and stakeholders during the pre-application stage. Previously, the public and communities could remain unaware of large-scale proposals until an application is submitted.
The Scottish Government is developing the necessary regulations to utilise these new powers, which will ensure that all communities have the opportunity for meaningful engagement at an earlier stage and better align procedures with existing provisions under our fully devolved planning system. We also understand the complexities for communities in navigating the planning system.
In recognition of this, the National Planning Hub has provided additional grant funding to Planning Aid Scotland for training on renewable energy, community engagement and place-based planning. The training is free and open to anyone across Scotland. The Scottish Government has collaborated with Planning Aid Scotland on an information sheet for communities on navigating planning and consenting processes for renewable energy and it is available on their website: www.pas.org.uk/.
Community Benefits
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the transition to net zero delivers real and lasting benefits for communities, not just in terms of infrastructure, but in jobs, investment and local opportunity.
We published a working paper on 18 February setting out proposals for refreshing our Good Practice Principles for community benefits from onshore renewable energy developments. We would welcome views on these proposals, which can be submitted through the Scottish Government’s Dialogue platform: https://www.ideas.gov.scot/.
We are producing updated, separate Good Practice Principles for offshore renewable energy developments, so that our community benefits arrangements deliver sustainable, meaningful and long-lasting impacts. The guidance will reflect the distinct context of offshore developments and the need for tailored advice for the sector and communities.
Insights from your Community Council will be invaluable in helping to shape updated guidance that delivers meaningful, long‐term benefits for communities across Scotland.
Energy Mix
The Scottish government recognises the importance of energy generated from onshore wind, offshore wind and other technologies, such as solar, in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply.
Continuing to expand our renewables sector will mean we are less reliant on imported fuels and global fossil fuel markets, strengthen our energy security and produce the power we need to meet increasing demand for clean electricity.
However, developments must be in the right locations. Our planning system and the Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) seeks to ensure the impacts of proposals on communities and nature, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process.
The Scottish Government agrees that offshore wind presents a transformational opportunity to grow our economy while delivering energy security and supporting our journey to net zero. The Scottish Government is doing everything within its power to ensure that the offshore wind opportunity for Scotland is realised.
We recently published an updated Offshore Wind Policy Statement, setting out an increased offshore wind ambition for Scotland of up to 40 GW of new offshore wind capacity by 2040. To help support this, the Scottish Government is investing up to £500 million over 5 years, which will support thousands of jobs.
Everyone in Scotland must feel the benefits of the transition to a clean, green energy future. This generational shift must benefit everyone in Scotland, not just the few.
I hope this information is helpful.
Yours sincerely
Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ
www.gov.scot
Strategic Energy Projects Team
OESC : Whole Systems and Technical Policy Unit
Preceding Correspondence: From Rob Aitkinson, SNCC> To Scot Gov, 25 February 2026
Short statement submitted to Ms Gillian Martin – by email – on 25 February 2026.
Dear Cabinet Secretary
I attended the convention at Holyrood on Tuesday 24 February and I noted you requested that various speakers made suggestions to address Net Zero. The suggestion that my Community Council feel is the answer you are looking for is to develop more offshore wind energy. This needs to be fast tracked. Please note the content of my speech – that I did not get the opportunity to present.
Offshore wind offers all the benefits that your Green Industrial Strategy sets out but you have failed to develop home grown solutions.
Yours
Rob Atkinson, For Strathnairn Community Council (SNCC)
Short statement from SNCC | Alternatives & Offshore Wind
A | The Problem >
- We have something like 193 turbines either built or in some stage of development and we understand more are coming;
- We are sandwiched between the Cairngorm National Park and a large “area of significant protection” to the north;
- This leaves our area zoned as an area “with potential for wind farm development”;
- The result is a feeding frenzy of land owners and developers applying to build and building large numbers of turbines;
- These turbines are of ever increasing height and visual impact and are now being proposed to have tip heights of 250m;
- This seeming unstopping industrial development is transforming our strath into an industrial landscape accompanied with the almost continuous roar from the turbines whenever a community is downwind;
- We are deluged with technical documentation and struggle to make representation to the planning authority due to the number of major energy related applications and the highly technical content of the documentation.
B | Why is This Happening? >
- As a community we believe in the need for human activity to be sustainable in order to protect the planet for our children and future generations;
- Net zero is a waypoint on that path and we support it as a target.
- However we don’t believe the proliferation of onshore turbines in the Highlands is a fair, sustainable or necessary strategy to achieve net zero;
- This is supported by the Analysis of Responses to Consultation July 2022 that notes that in response to question six the largest numbers of respondents saw a need for a more holistic approach to target setting and also to other renewable energy forms, in particular offshore wind;
- Currently there’s approximately 10 GW of installed onshore wind in Scotland.;
- The Onshore Wind Policy Statement 2022 is calling for a minimum of 20 GW of onshore wind to be installed by 2030 – approximately double the current installed capacity.
- This onshore target is driver for the proliferation of windfarms and leading to approving windfarms despite passionate and reasoned objections from local communities.
- It’s hard to imagine a Highlands with double the number of onshore windfarms but that seems to be the way we are heading.
C | There are Alternatives >
- As already said we are not climate deniers we support the target of net zero but to achieve it through continuing to develop our offshore wind sector;
- By continuing with the existing onshore strategy we are destroying one environment to save another – Offshore wind offers the opportunity to save both;
- We note and wholeheartedly welcome that at the Offshore Wind Conference the government announced an increase in the offshore wind target to 40GW but this needs to be more;
- We also note that The Green Industrial Strategy calls for Scotland to generate three times the domestic consumption by 2045 – this must only be achieved through offshore wind – there should be no requirement for another turbine to be installed in the
Highlands when considering the opportunity that exists in offshore wind; - In closing the Strathnairn Community Council welcomes and supports the Unified Statement of the Convention of Community councils.
For full proceedings of the day see Rural Scotland Convention on Major Energy Infrastructure Statements – 24 Feb 2026