Our beloved MSP Tavish Scott has been quoted in the national media on the need to save the small herd of Shetland cattle to be sold off by the Scottish government.

We should welcome Viking Energy. Shetland has to play its part in helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Much of the electricity generated by Viking will be “carbon-free”, therefore it must be worth it. The loss of landscape, wildlife, etc is a small price to pay for helping “save the world” for our children and their children, etc.

The Tory/Lib-Dem government is obviously turning its back on UK coastal communities.

Shetland has received the accolade of being one of the top 10 places on earth that tourists should visit to experience its unique, unspoiled, natural beauty and wildlife.

Travel, they say, broadens the mind. Aye, perhaps. But it has closed mine to Viking Energy’s plan to destroy a landscape and environment which is curiously inappropriate for this type of industrial development.

The outline planning application for the converter station at Upper Kergord comes before the planning board on Wednesday 3rd November. The planning department is recommending consent is granted.

As a tourism provider I am delighted, but not surprised, with the news that the universally popular Lonely Planet travel guide has praised Shetland as one of the top regions in the world to visit in 2011. It identifies Shetland as being “a little-known but beautiful and rewarding corner of the UK” and as the ‘‘last untamed corner of the UK”, also advising “adventurous travellers to step this way”. I hope potential “adventurous travellers” are quick off the mark, because if the Viking Energy/SSE partnership gets its way, in a very short time Shetland will no longer be “beautiful” or “untamed”.

It’s probably a fair assumption to say that the majority of those in favour of the Viking Energy windfarm are keen for it to go ahead for one reason only: they have been told by VE that it will bring many millions of pounds into the Shetland economy.

Oil in the East Shetland Basin feeding into Sullom Voe through the Brent and Ninian pipelines has been flowing for around 33 years now. The continued commercial viability of this largely down to an increased oil price and a leaner form of platform operation and management. Sullom Voe is getting a reprieve with the development of oil and gas west of Shetland. It has to be remembered that this, also like the east of Shetland, is a relatively short term addition to our economy.

I do not normally respond to letters published in the media but in response to Mr Fox (“What do his constituents think?” 27th October) I moved the motion for the council not to hold any further public meetings as I was of the opinion that in these difficult financial times I could not justify scarce resources to another round of meetings.