A column today in The Scotsman by John McLellan discusses the hypocrisy at the heart of the planning system. Rural campaigners want windfarm planning decisions to take the ‘cumulative effect’ of such developments into account, but this has always been rejected by the Scottish government, despite it being a factor in other major planning decisions

Community councillors from the Scottish Borders have reacted with dismay as their concerns were dismissed by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action, Gillian Martin MSP, at a roundtable event in Holyrood today.

Community leaders have welcomed the decision to overturn Scottish Government permission for a windfarm which would have radically changed the historic landscape of Eildon in the Scottish Borders.

The Scottish government’s Energy Consent Unit (ECU) has approved plans for Ditcher Law, a huge wind farm development in the Lammermuirs Special Landscape Area, overriding the objection lodged by Scottish Borders Council (SBC).

Scotland’s rush toward wind power has reached a critical crossroads. Instead of delivering cheaper energy and a cleaner grid, evidence shows that much of the country’s wind output cannot be used, exported or stored – and must instead be switched off at public expense.

Plans for the proposed Mid Hill wind farm in the Scottish Borders have suffered a major setback after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) lodged a formal objection warning that the project poses an “unmanageable” risk to the UK’s nuclear test monitoring capabilities and to military air operations.

As Chair of Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council, Bob Hope attended this week’s round table event at the Scottish Parliament organised by Highland Community Councils to discuss the expansion of onshore windfarms across rural Scotland with the Scottish Government. He wasn’t impressed with the Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin’s response.

Scotsman columnist John McLellan says the Court of Session decision this week to overturn approval of the controversial windfarm at Wull Muir, near the picturesque Borders village of Heriot, illustrates a planning system that is not fit for purpose.

The golden eagle population in the south of Scotland faces ‘very significant’ risk if the controversial Scawd Law wind farm is granted planning permission, according to wildlife charity Restoring Upland Nature (RUN), home of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

Controversial Scottish government quango the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) has taken further steps to prevent local communities from raising concerns about wind farms, by cutting the length of submissions that can be made via its new portal.

Local communities in the Scottish Borders have reacted furiously after it emerged that it will no longer be possible for members of the public to submit a response to a windfarm application to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) by email.

200 people, including representatives of more than 30 community councils, overwhelmingly backed a unified statement calling for a pause on all new onshore renewable energy projects in the south of Scotland.