Hebrides  News                                                                                                                      info@hebrides.biz

Scarista   House

Gaelic

karaoke

  All favourite

  Gaelic songs

Hebrides   Shop

A draft action plan to regenerate the islands’ economy is due to be completed this summer said Scottish enterprise minister Jim Mather on a visit to Stronoway.

On Thursday, he was locked in all-day crunch talks with Western Isles Council and development bodies all day over how renewable energy can be the lynchpin in transforming the ailing Hebridean economy.

The enterprise minister had previously promised to visit to the islands over large-scale mill and weaver job losses as well as the huge redundancies in the salmon processing sector, construction, service industries and shops.

Mr Mather took the opportunity to challenge the UK Government over its policy of nuclear power.

He robustly ruled out building new nuclear power stations in the face of criticism from energy secretary Ed Miliband who condemned the Holyrood administration’s opposition to nuclear energy.

Mr Miliband said the SNP's decision not to build new nuclear power stations would cost jobs and investment

Mr Mather retorted:  "What we are looking to do is to optimise the position for Scotland.

"And optimising the position for Scotland says first and foremost there is no need for nuclear.

"What we want to do is recognise that every pound invested in nuclear is a potential pound invested in renewables."

Renewables is much more routed here, particularly in the Western Isles, creating jobs, creating intellectual property rights.

He said it would generate "energy that can be exported. Energy that can justify new businesses around that renewable energy provision."

However Mr Mather failed to announce any decision over planning permission for the proposed giant £185 million 53-turbine Eishken wind farm.

He said no decision had yet been made: "There's a process that we have got to go through.

Mr Mather was in Stornoway to discuss the key Halcrow report which he commissioned.

It puts forward new ideas for tourism, food and drink and the financial services industry for the Hebrides.

He ordered the study after refusing planning to the massive Lewis wind farm project which would have injected multi-millions of pounds into the local economy.

Recently Mr Mather emphasised that "all members of the steering group, including the Scottish Government, now need to work together to drive new economic activity" for the Hebrides.

Action plan to regenerate islands economy                                 17/4/09

Enterprise minister Jim Mather and council leader Angus Campbell discuss the next step forward for the islands’ economic renewal