Development of Renewables

• Fully recognise that the clean power revolution will change our region and increase our population to such an extent that a plan for housing, health, education and transport must be implemented. That plan should either be driven at a national level or through devolving more powers to our local bodies.
• Help Highland businesses be ready to join the supply chain for tier 1 contractors who are new to the area.
• Co-ordinate efforts with NHS and education to ensure local public services scale at a pace that matches the projected job and population growth.
• Set the example on local procurement by adjusting Scottish Government and Local Authorities own procurement procedures to give greater weight to community wealth and short travel miles.
• Re-examine their planning framework to find a less adversarial way for communities and developers to engage with planning, and to find a way to include all voices within a community.
• Demonstrate leadership by telling the nation why the clean power revolution is essential to the future of the UK and Scotland but also to the Highlands.

What is the issue that needs to be solved?

Our region will be at the centre of the UK’s renewables revolution. It is essential for the UK that we achieve energy security and that can’t be done without the Central Highlands and our deep-water ports and reliable wind. This is also important for our region as it will bring up to 15,000 jobs in renewables and related industries and will halt our damaging population decline.

Our businesses are supportive of this change with almost 75% saying it’s extremely or somewhat important and the remainder being neutral, with not a single detractor.

However, change at this scale leads to understandable concerns – including:

1. That local infrastructure is not strong enough to support this increased workforce – in particular our housing health, education and transport infrastructure.
2. That our local businesses will not be given a chance to compete for contracts from the new industries arriving in our area
3. That a lack of workforce will lead to wage inflation that will make it hard for our traditional industries to retain and attract staff
4. That the planning system and the process of ECU consent does not promote genuine conversation between developers and communities. A better planning system could encourage even greater investment through fostering better community understanding of the benefits.