Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[MuckleJoannie]

One of the plans for the new Lerwick power station is for it to be run on gas from Sullom Voe. Could this be a move to secure a supply?

[concerned shetlander]

I hope that is what they are about. Should have been done before. Gas would make it a lot cheaper. If they pass on the saving of course.

[Frances144]

I have just received in the post a letter from VE.

 

As a shareholder in the Walls, Sandness and Dale Common Grazing, I am invited to a Crofters' Information Session in Bixter on 23rd Sept.

 

I have looked at the map supplied by VE on their website - http://www.vikingenergy.co.uk/assets/files/viking-energy-windfarm-final-layout-large.jpg

 

I cannot see how the Walls, Sandness and Dale Common Grazing is involved.  

 

The letter says "We are writing ot advise you that a series of Information Sessions is to be held in September for crofters who have rights over areas of land that is anticipated will be affected bythe development.  You may have attended one of the Information Sessions held in 2012 at which a project update was given and the Scheme for Development to be submitted to the Scottish Land Court was explained, including the expected effect of the Scheme for Development for each area."

 

Does anyone know which part of Walls, Sandness and Dale Common Grazing is going to be affected?

[ll]

Anyone seen the landslide north of the halfway house?

 

Don't suppose the numerous access roads will lessen any occurrences, should this go ahead?

[concerned shetlander]

Spoke at meeting they held in bixter for common grazings shareholders about landslide situation. How steep it was, depth of moor and the problems they would encounter. They hadn't a clue what they were talking about. I don't think any of the men there had ever been up there. It was really laughable what they told us. I can't believe that is the people in charge of fulfilling this project. You might have more trust in them if they could discuss the problems they might encounter, and have at least some solutions which sounded believable, but all the peat was stable and there would be no problems etc etc. we came away from the meeting even more apprehensive then when we went in. They were so ignorant of the area and depth of moor or problems that could happen working with it. Amazing isn't it that the landslide has never been on any news bulletin today, when every other landslide was reported in great detail.. Wonder why?

[ArabiaTerra]

Anyone seen the landslide north of the halfway house?

 

Don't suppose the numerous access roads will lessen any occurrences, should this go ahead?

 

No more than the hundreds of miles of roads already cutting through the peat hill have already increased the likelihood of landslides. If you can demonstrate a link between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then you can present a case for increased risk from the access roads. As there seems to be no correlation between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then good luck with that.

[paulb]

its not the first time access roads have been built on deep sloping peat. as your aware peat around the half way house is in a poor condition. the restoration program would assist in preventing any more decay. and lets face it its not wind turbines thats caused the damage. i assume the crofter/farmers are not planning on paying to restore the moor. if it not returned to a better state expect more and more slides. 

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

 

Anyone seen the landslide north of the halfway house?

 

Don't suppose the numerous access roads will lessen any occurrences, should this go ahead?

 

No more than the hundreds of miles of roads already cutting through the peat hill have already increased the likelihood of landslides. If you can demonstrate a link between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then you can present a case for increased risk from the access roads. As there seems to be no correlation between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then good luck with that.

 

 

Hardly a like-for-like comparison though, given what the proposed access roads would lead to, together with the number of access roads being proposed.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

its not the first time access roads have been built on deep sloping peat. as your aware peat around the half way house is in a poor condition. the restoration program would assist in preventing any more decay. and lets face it its not wind turbines thats caused the damage. i assume the crofter/farmers are not planning on paying to restore the moor. if it not returned to a better state expect more and more slides. 

 

It never ceases to astonish me how people have bought into this EXPERIMENTAL restoration programme.  How many acres are there of damaged peat?  How many acres are going to be destroyed with the proposed wind turbines and all the other peripherals being built, not just the access roads?  Since when have negatives been more favourable than positives?

[paulb]

and your plan to restore the peat is. the peat in most of Shetland is a net emitter of co2. its been abused for over 2,000 years and its not in a good state.  http://www.whiteleewindfarm.com/habitat_management_plan_0now were is your plan. 

Edited October 27, 2015 by paulb

[Urabug]

If VE don't pull the finger out shortly ,ma'be we will all have to get the tuskers out and that will no doubt disturb a little peat.

 

What with the situation in the oil business,council cuts and pending tax credit cuts the only answer is keep cutting --cut peats   

[ArabiaTerra]

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone seen the landslide north of the halfway house?

 

Don't suppose the numerous access roads will lessen any occurrences, should this go ahead?

 

No more than the hundreds of miles of roads already cutting through the peat hill have already increased the likelihood of landslides. If you can demonstrate a link between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then you can present a case for increased risk from the access roads. As there seems to be no correlation between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then good luck with that.

 

 

Hardly a like-for-like comparison though, given what the proposed access roads would lead to, together with the number of access roads being proposed.

 

 

True, the 100+ miles of access roads represent a tiny fraction of the mileage of the existing roads which already go up hill and down dale, ripping through the peat hill with no thought given to peat stability or drainage other than that which directly affected the roads themselves.

 

Seriously though, show me one example of a landslide in Shetland caused by road building, just one, then we can talk.

[ArabiaTerra]

 

 

 

 

 

its not the first time access roads have been built on deep sloping peat. as your aware peat around the half way house is in a poor condition. the restoration program would assist in preventing any more decay. and lets face it its not wind turbines thats caused the damage. i assume the crofter/farmers are not planning on paying to restore the moor. if it not returned to a better state expect more and more slides. 

 

It never ceases to astonish me how people have bought into this EXPERIMENTAL restoration programme.  How many acres are there of damaged peat?  How many acres are going to be destroyed with the proposed wind turbines and all the other peripherals being built, not just the access roads?  Since when have negatives been more favourable than positives?

 

 

I'll take an EXPERIMENTAL Peat Restoration Project over no restoration project at all. You never know, it might actually work.

 

[Kevin]

I'm no roads engineer but I'd hazard a guess that roadbuilding was a contributing factor in landslips shown in both these photos, and not even a great depth of peat by the looks of things.

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/9048-a-month-s-worth-of-rain-in-a-day

[Ghostrider]

 

 

Anyone seen the landslide north of the halfway house?

 

Don't suppose the numerous access roads will lessen any occurrences, should this go ahead?

 

No more than the hundreds of miles of roads already cutting through the peat hill have already increased the likelihood of landslides. If you can demonstrate a link between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then you can present a case for increased risk from the access roads. As there seems to be no correlation between the recent landslides and the existing roads, then good luck with that.

 

 

Hardly a like-for-like comparison though, given what the proposed access roads would lead to, together with the number of access roads being proposed.

 

 

True, the 100+ miles of access roads represent a tiny fraction of the mileage of the existing roads which already go up hill and down dale, ripping through the peat hill with no thought given to peat stability or drainage other than that which directly affected the roads themselves.

 

A rather disingenuous claim if not arguably an irrelevant one. Shetland's existing roads for the very great majority connect settlements and facilities located at relatively low altitudes and which are not located amid great swathes of moor. The roads as we know them today are the culmination of over 150 years of very slow evolution, and were built following the path of least resistance. In plain language, steep gradients, deep moor, soft/wet moor etc was avoided if at all possible. Few of the two lane plus hard shoulder cut out highways we use today started out that way, they started out as single width gravel tracks which had little impact on the terrain, and as time went on were upgraded time and time again, allowing for a very slow process of drying out, flooding, destabilisation etc to occur, which we've experienced a little bit at a time spread over their lifetimes, and probably can expect yet more in the future..

 

Compare that to forging roads through virgin territory, including mires, significant inclines and whatever depth of moor just happens to be there, as "the roads have to go where they have to go", which are capable of handling multi-axle artic trailers and cranes, plus are sound enough to have fully laden dump trucks pounding back and forth long them, and you have whole other bone to be chewed. If nothing else, you can expect a comparable amount of problems within a very short period of time immediately following construction, as has been experienced over the entire lifetime of a similar length of road in similar terrain, plus with the possibility of exacerbated events on account of any destabilsation suffering from a domino effect from the much shortened timeline in play.