A millionaire Tory MSP has been accused of hypocrisy after intervening in another row over onshore windfarms.
Alexander Burnett - reportedly Holyrood's richest member - was among the signatories of an open letter expressing concern about the installation of more wind turbines in a rural corner of north-east Scotland.
The Tory MSP and his party leader Douglas Ross were among those to call on Aberdeenshire and Moray councils last month to undertake a new assessment of the impact of more windfarms in the Upper Deveron Valley.
Burnett has previously declared windfarms are "damaging Scotland’s countryside".
But the Record revealed in 2019 how the landowning MSP was a trustee of the Fordie Trust, which erected two turbines near the village of Torphins in Royal Deeside after receiving planning permission in 2013.
Burnett's register of interests states the Fordie Trust owns property in Aberdeenshire with a market value of between £5,400,001 and £5,500,000 - but added the MSP did not expect to receive any income from it during the current parliamentary term.
SNP MSP Gillian Martin said: "This intervention is a classic example of Tory hypocrisy. Mr Burnett has been caught out with this once before.
"He clearly thinks the public has forgotten about his dishonesty last time on this issue.
"It begs the question whether Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross is even aware of his colleague’s financial interests - especially given he’s a co-signatory of this letter.
"It proves the Conservatives want nobody to profit from green energy but themselves."
The letter signed by Burnett was also backed by community councils, charitable bodies and local business owners.
It called for urgent action to undertake “an inter-authority regional landscape capacity assessment” and to put any new developments in the Upper Deveron Valley on the back burner.
Four further wind farms are in the process of being developed which could take the number of turbines in the area to 148.
The letter was written under the banner of Coalition of Community Concern asking the authorities to consider if they have reached wind farm capacity.
Burnett last year asked the Scottish Government if ministers would consider halting the construction of more turbines until an update to their energy strategy is published.
A Conservative party spokesman said at the time that the two turbines erected by the Fordie Trust were on a farm and not comparable to a large-scale commercial windfarm.
The Record has asked the Scottish Conservatives for comment.
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