Spiorad na Mara say they will respond to public feedback

Members of the public scrutinise the plans at one of the town hall consultation events

The company behind plans for a major windfarm just off the coast of Lewis will produce a summary report next month from the first stage of their public consultation.

Canadian-owned Northland Power hopes to develop a 900 megawatt windfarm under the name of Spiorad na Mara after they were successful in securing the site from the Scottish Government’s Scotwind auction, during which a number of potential sites were sold off to bidders. The turbines will be five to 13 kilometres off the coast.

A number of residents are concerned at the scale and proximity of the turbines and the company held their first round of community consultations between September and October. Two more meetings are planned this month, in the Barvas and Brue Community Centre on Monday 16th and the Cabarfeidh Hotel Tuesday 17th.

In a statement issued this week, the company said: “The feedback is currently being reviewed by the project team and will inform the ongoing planning and design of the project. A report will be issued during January which will contain full details on the consultation and a summary of its findings.

“The consultation, which ran from 23rd September to 23rd October 2024, consisted of seven in-person events held at different locations around the island, a month-long virtual on-line exhibition and a series of information clinics, with a total of 55 hours of time available for members of local communities to meet and talk with the project team.

“A total of 322 people attended the seven in-person exhibitions and 13 came to the information clinics, with 1,265 visiting the on-line consultation room.”

During the spring of 2025, a second phase of public consultation is being planned which will focus on sharing the latest updates and progress made, the submission of a planning application expected during late summer 2025.

“Feedback is crucial in shaping our project, as it helps us to take the needs and interests of local communities on board and provides an opportunity to understand and address any questions or concerns,” said Tanya Davies, Project Director.

“We were very pleased with the number of people who participated in this important first phase of public consultation and would like to thank everyone for their valuable input and feedback. Consultation with local communities and stakeholders is at the heart of our project development process - we value every voice in the community.”