Scottish Government plans for marine special protection areas (SPAs) near Orkney would have catastrophic consequences for the islands and Scotland as a whole, it was claimed yesterday.
Orkney Islands Council (OIC) urged the government to put its proposals for new protected areas covering “huge areas of local waters” on hold, warning they would hamper harbour and renewable-energy developments.
The government insists they will not harm development or investment in Orkney waters.
OIC’s alarm adds to a growing backlash against Holyrood over its plans for SPAs and Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s), which have already caused fury within the fishing sector.
Two draft SPAs (dSPAs) – aimed at bird conservation – are proposed for waters around Orkney, one covering Scapa Flow and the Pentland Firth and the other encompassing a large area to the north of the Orkney mainland.
OIC says they are unnecessary and put conservation objectives ahead of new and in some cases existing human activity.
In a letter to Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead, the council has set out its opposition to a planned consultation on the dSPAs.
OIC has also expressed its concerns to cabinet colleagues of Mr Lochhead, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister John Swinney, Transport Minister Derek Mackay and Business, Energy and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing.
“We see this as the biggest threat currently facing the Council and our local community, OIC convener Steven Heddle said yesterday.
He added: “This is why we have raised this objection in the strongest possible terms, supported by legal, socioeconomic and environmental advice we have commissioned.
“The proposed conservation designations cover a massive area and, if imposed upon us, could effectively sterilise Scapa Flow – our prime harbour area – from future development.
“This is also the case for the Pentland Firth and Westray Firth, areas widely recognised as Scotland’s great resources for tidal energy.
“Putting the two draft SPAs out to consultation sets in train a process that could result in their designation.
“Worryingly, in accordance with Scottish Government policy, their restrictions come into immediate effect as soon as the consultation commences and before there has been a chance for full and proper scrutiny of the scientific case.
“These unnecessarily draconian designations could thwart the aspirations of the council and government to see sustainable development, such as marine renewable-energy production, flourish in our local waters. That would be catastrophic for Orkney and Scotland as a whole.”
A government spokesman said: “With suitable mitigation, assessment and monitoring, the Scottish Government is confident that development can continue in Orkney waters alongside an SPA.”