A demonstration has been held in Strathy in relation to a proposed wind farm for the area.

The demonstration by some of those from the local community, was held in support of the plans by SSE for the 47-turbine Strathy South development.

People gathered at a meeting, held by the Scottish Government Reporter's Unit, which explained the process of a public local inquiry (PLI) on the scheme.The pre-inquiry meeting outlined the parameters for the PLI itself before a recommendation for the scheme goes before the Scottish Government. A decision on the development is expected to be made in April.


Nicki Small, SSE's Strathy South project manager, said: "It was fantastic to see such visible local support for Strathy South at the pre-inquiry meeting.

"SSE is a responsible developer with an established Highland heritage and we have set out to design the wind farm to deliver positive environmental gain overall – that is, to both generate clean energy whilst restoring and positively managing thousands of hectares of damaged peatland.

"We also intend to create significant investment in the local and wider Highland economy, as is already happening through Strathy North wind farm."

The proposal has been opposed by others in the local community, while Scottish Natural Heritage and RSPB Scotland have said that the farm could impact on the local bird wildlife.

(JP/IT)