MSP Liz Smith has called on Scottish Ministers to carry out an impact assessment on the effects of wind farm applications on local government planning departments.

Recently, the Government admitted they would have to provide around �300,000 of funding to help under-pressure planning departments cope with the number of application.

Two councils in Scotland have now called for a moratorium on wind farm applications, pointing out that planning bosses are unable to cope with the sheer scale of them.

And Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Liz said, "The SNP Scottish Government is presiding over a chaotic local planning system which, in many cases, takes little heed of local democracy.

"Council planning departments are already under severe pressure to deal with these applications, and even the councils who do have preferred areas of development, are receiving numerous speculative applications for places they have stated are not suitable.

"It is clear that we need radical reform of the planning system. The SNP's drive to push through wind farm developments at the cost of planning applications for small businesses and local people can only add to the problems now being faced by local authorities planning departments across Scotland."