The area under consideration for the implementation of the replication study in the Western Isles is Creed Waste Management Facility. The facility is located on the outskirts of Stornoway, the main port of entry and administrative centre for the Western Isles.

Figure 1 Creed Waste Management Facility

It is classified in the Outer Hebrides Local Development Plan as an ‘Outwith Settlement’ area: “These areas act as a separation between settlements which helps to retain distinctiveness (Figure 2). They have some local and strategic resource functions, supporting a diverse range of development activities and largely non-residential uses, which include agriculture, recreation activities, mineral extraction, energy development and storage/waste depots. Generally these areas have dispersed development in a more open landscape, encompassing various landscape character types with machair, moorland and some upland. Development proposals are likely to be mainly resource or tourism based. There may be capacity for a limited amount of development where siting and design are critical to mitigate impacts on landscape. ‘Outwith Settlement’ is not mapped but is defined as the area between settlement boundaries and mapped Remote Areas.” (Outer Hebrides Local Development Plan, November 2018)

Figure 2 Location of the Western Isles relative to Scotland

An overview of the current installation at Creed Park in the Western Isles is detailed in Figure 10 below.

Figure 3 Schematics of the current installation at Creed Park

The facility has already been the site of the innovative Outer Hebrides Local Energy Hub (OHLEH) – an award-winning circular economy project which shows the scope offered by renewable energy technologies to bring about tangible business benefits around energy use and waste reduction.