Labour councillors threaten viability of Prestwick Airport

Last week saw the unsavoury side of politics demonstrated all too clearly by my adversaries in the Labour party.

In a clearly cynical and calculated move Labour Councillors on South Ayrshire Councils Planning Committee last Tuesday, 3rd April 2007 colluded to reject the recommendation of the council’s professional planning officials to formally object to the planning application for a Windfarm at Dersalloch Hill, east of Straiton.

The consequence of this action is that the Scottish Executive is now not obliged to hold a Public Enquiry into the merits of building a windfarm at Darsalloch Hill.

Serious concerns had been raised by both Prestwick Air Traffic Control and Glasgow Prestwick Airport who have expressed the gravest reservations about the very viability of being able to maintain safe air traffic control if this application was to go ahead.

As the radar system cannot distinguish between a wind turbine and a flying aircraft there are two main technical problems:
1. The radar clutter caused by wind turbines on the radar screens.
2. Aircraft flying over a wind turbine could not be distinguished from the wind turbine.

So why did they reject the recommendation for a public enquiry, I hear you ask?

I can only assume that political expediency was the reason. If the windfarm goes ahead then Scottish Power will channel some funds into the Straiton and Maybole area. The Labour party are looking for votes in that area and presumably believe that the promise of Scottish Power cash will sway the voters. I suspect, and hope, that they are sadly mistaken.

Prestwick Labour councillor Mrs. Helen Moonie told the committee that she was concerned at the cost of a public enquiry to the council. She does not seem to have taken into account the cost to Prestwick in particular, and South Ayrshire in general, of any threat to the future viability of Prestwick Airport. Untold millions of pounds will be lost to the local economy if the result of the decision taken by Mrs. Moonie and her Labour colleagues is to jeopardise the thousands of jobs that depend either directly or indirectly on Prestwick Airport.

This Council Committee was the only avenue open to those whose work depends on Prestwick Airport to have their concerns about the impact on their lives raised through legal representation at a major public enquiry.

This was no sudden decision by Labour; it was a cold calculated plan to ensure that no Public Enquiry should ever take place. I believe that a three line whip was in operation which means every labour Councillor was party to this disgraceful stain on the democratic process.