CLASHINDARROCH UPDATE- TIME TO FIGHT EVEN HARDER
Hi All
This is one of the most important updates we will do. Sadly, our application to the UK Supreme Court was refused. However, whilst disappointing, this is not the end of the road. In fact far from it. We have promised to keep fighting and that is exactly what we will do.
We have planned for this eventuality and we have started the process of a fresh legal challenge. We are not hanging around. A Letter Before Action has already been sent to Vattenfall, Nature Scot and Aberdeenshire Council. Let us explain the focus of our new legal challenge.
When Scottish Ministers approved the windfarm (in our opinion erroneously), they did so on the basis that dozens of associated conditions had to be met before the project commenced. A number of these conditions refer directly to the Scottish wildcat. These conditions have not yet been discharged. However, through a Freedom of Information request, we have obtained draft documents produced by Vattenfall that relate to these conditions. They are woefully inadequate and certainly legal challengeable.
As we always do, we try to explain exactly what is going on ‘behind the scenes’. It is difficult to believe, but Nature Scot who are supposedly responsible for the protection of wildcats, have signed off on crucial documents that have been produced by Vattenfall, in draft form. They have DRAFT emblazoned through every page. This means that they could of course be changed by Vattenfall after they have been signed off by the Government’s environment agency (Nature Scot). I know it is difficult to be believe and defies logic, but these are the scenarios that we have to uncover and deal with. The betrayal, deception, lack of logic and to be honest, blatant disregard for the Scottish wildcat, is astonishing.
It gets worse. Vattenfall have now proclaimed on their website that there are no wildcats at all in the Clashindarroch and that they are all hybrids. This is despite the fact that reports provided by their own Ecologists, confirm that wildcats are found throughout the Clashindarroch and on the proposed windfarm site itself. It is truly shocking, but they are a multi-billion pound business who clearly think they can simply deny the existence of Scotland’s iconic wildcat.
Well guess what, we are here to ensure that they can’t.
The windfarm cannot start until all conditions are met which currently they are not. The decisions around the discharge of those conditions are all legally challengeable and we have put the relevant parties on legal notice. We will post the letter up on here, once we have confirmation of receipt from Vattenfall, Nature Scot and Aberdeenshire Council.
We have been fighting for 7 years. The forest is still there, the wildcats are still there and we are prepared to fight for another 7 years and longer, to protect those precious wildcat and their beautiful forest home.
So we fight on and will never give up. We are ready to go again and hope that every single one of you is right behind us. Your amazing support has been both humbling and inspiring and we need that support more than ever.
As we have done before, we ask for your kindness and solidarity. This is not the time to give in, it is the time to fight even harder. Please continue to support our legal crowdfunder at this link:
https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/wildcats/
As always, you have our sincere thanks.
Keep watching as lots more news and wildcat footage to come.
Very best wishes
Emily and the whole Wildcat Haven Team.