1st Feb 2020
In the Scottish Wetlands Debate held in the Scottish Parliament on 15th January 2020, MSP Ross Greer highlighted Peel Ports proposals at Hunterston along with Donald Trump’s golf course at Menie as evidence that SSSI doesn’t necessarily provide a gold standard of protection:
Ross said:
“We have heard about the importance of wetlands to our biodiversity and the wealth of fantastic and rare species that they support. That is why, this past February, I raised concerns about the Scottish Government’s new guidance on the protection of our 51 Ramsar sites. The Scottish Government’s response was to insist that the fact that those are designated as sites of special scientific interest gives them adequate protection, but the evidence suggests otherwise, as the impact of Donald Trump’s golf course, and many other developments, has shown.
In my region, there is still a question over whether the guidance will protect Southannan Sands, a fantastic marine environment at Hunterston, which is threatened by a dredging proposal. The Southannan situation should illustrate starkly the inadequacy of relying on SSSI designation for protection. If 0.5 million tonnes of dredging to decommission oil rigs in the same location does not automatically trigger the need for an environmental impact assessment, those regulations clearly need to be strengthened.”
Read MSP Ross Greer comments and the debate in full >>>>
We will continue to hold the planning and regulatory authorities to account for their decision making on whether they will “SAY NO WAY WITHOUT AN EIA” #SaveSouthannanSands