In a lengthy judgement, Lady Clark of Calton said she was not satisfied that Scottish government officials had “complied with their obligations under the Wild Birds Directive 2009”.

Lady Clark delivered the judgement at the Court of Session in Edinburgh following a judicial review brought by pressure group Sustainable Shetland, which wants the Viking development stopped.

The implications of the judgement are still unclear for the project, which has been a source of controversy since 2009, when it started as a 540MW,150-machine proposal.