A 124-acre energy hub is being proposed for Site 14 Rivestone in the Deveron Valley, around Strathbogie, Rothiemay and Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

This is not empty land on a map.

It is a living rural landscape of farms, homes, narrow roads, burns, trees, flowers, pollinators, wildlife corridors and community life.

It is a place where families have farmed for generations. It is a place where people walk, work, raise animals, grow food, look after gardens, care for wildlife, and depend on small rural roads that are already under pressure.

For those of us who live in and care about this valley, the impact is not abstract. We see the seasons changing across the fields. We see bees working through flowers, birds crossing the valley, red squirrels moving through trees, and burns feeding into the wider river system. We know this land as a living place, not as a blank space waiting for industrial use.

The proposed Site 14 development could place major pressure on three multigenerational farming businesses and permanently change the character of an area known for its landscape, biodiversity and rural heritage.

The Deveron Valley and wider Strathbogie area are important for protected and priority wildlife, including Scottish wildcat, otter, osprey, red squirrel and many other species that depend on connected habitat, quiet corridors, clean water and undisturbed edges.

The concerns are not only about wildlife.

They are also about:

loss of productive farmland;
pressure on multigenerational farms;
construction traffic on narrow rural roads;
road safety near homes, schools, farms and villages;
water, drainage, burns and private water supplies;
landscape and visual impact;
cumulative pressure from multiple energy and infrastructure proposals;
whether local knowledge is being properly heard before decisions are made.
Local people are not saying no to clean energy.

We are saying that clean energy infrastructure must be planned properly, placed responsibly, and assessed honestly.

We also want to be clear: this petition is not asking for one farming family or one rural community to be sacrificed instead of another.

Site 6 Cruchie remains part of SSEN’s own site-selection process, which is why a transparent comparison matters. But our wider concern is the decision-making process itself. Communities should not be placed in a position where they feel forced to choose which farms, homes, roads, landscapes or wildlife habitats are put under pressure.

Before SSEN selects any preferred site, we are asking for proper evidence, proper comparison, proper cumulative assessment, and meaningful consultation.

We are also asking for a joined-up cumulative assessment of all major infrastructure pressures on the Deveron Valley, not a piecemeal process where each project is treated separately and the community is left to carry the combined impact.

We are asking SSEN, Aberdeenshire Council and Scottish Ministers to make sure that:

Site 14 is not selected unless its impacts have been fully assessed and justified;
Site 14 and Site 6 are compared transparently as part of a fair, evidence-led process;
farms, homes, roads, water, landscape and wildlife are properly considered;
protected and priority species are taken seriously;
local knowledge is treated as evidence;
communities are given clear information and meaningful consultation before irreversible decisions are made.
Power should serve life.

Not the other way round.

Please sign and share this petition to help protect the Deveron Valley and ask for a fair, transparent and properly assessed process before Site 14 is pushed forward.