The 181-turbine development on the island of Lewis, in the Outer
Hebrides, was vetoed by Scottish ministers after the site was
designated as the Lewis Peatlands special protection area under the
European Union birds directive. As the wind farm would have
"significant adverse impacts" on the wildlife site and its birds, it
was in effect legally impossible to approve, said Jim Mather, the
Scottish energy minister.
The decision sends a clear signal to developers, who were expected to
take part in an expansion of renewable energy signalled by the EU
earlier this year. It means their proposals will have to be in the
right place, the report said, and they are likely to be refused if
they conflict with the EU’s birds directive or habitats directive.
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