Resources

Submission by Sustainable Shetland on Aarhus Convention for UNECE National Implementation Report (administered in UK by DEFRA).

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) – or Aarhus - Convention provides for access to justice in environmental matters for EU citizens:
Sustainable Shetland made a submission through DEFRA (the agency for UNECE in the UK) in October 2013. The submission was made as comments in response to a draft National Implementation Report on the Convention for the UK, and concerned the Judicial Review of the Scottish Scottish Givernments Ministers’ consent for the Viking Windfarm.

We explain that the judicial review process is extremely expensive, and that there is a danger that the fear of escalating costs could prevent an organisation (and potentially other NGOs or individuals) from making use of due legal process.

In effect we we explain that access to justice, even allowing for protected costs orders, is extremely difficult to sustain. In our own case it is a matter of concern that a hearing originally allocated for 4 days can so easily extend to 14.

Shetland councillors

Members of Scottish Parliament (List MSPs etc)

- Shetland Islands Council Aerogenerator Policy. November 2004. This is the SICs interim policy on domestic and community aerogenerators. Try fitting the "community" Viking scheme to this policy if you can! 481Kb file. 15 pages.

- Tourism windfarm Scotland Study. 12 March 2008. Scottish government commissioned study. Tourists were interviewed at main tourist attractions (note, not near any wind farms). This report was spun as tourists support wind farms. However, actually reading the report reveals that about 20-30% of tourists preferred landscapes without windfarms. Would we be happy with 20-30% less overnight tourists in Shetland? 3.09MB file. 115 pages.

- Moyle Interconnector Overview. September 2002. Overview of the converter station in Northern Ireland. Capacity is about same as proposed for Shetland Converter Station, and use similar HVDD cable. Note the sheer size of the station. Can you imagine this in the upper Weisdale / Kergord valley. 1.81MB file. 13 pages.

Constitution of Sustainable Shetland. Every democratic organisation should be clear about how it operates, why it exists, and how members can take part in activities, and affect change within their organisation. Here is our constitution. 3 pages, 18kb.