2 Dec 2025
Community councils across the Scottish Borders are being urged to come together in January to fight back against a relentless surge of large-scale renewable energy developments due to be approved by the Scottish Government.
Across Scotland, major energy infrastructure applications are accelerating at an unprecedented pace. In the Borders, many communities now find themselves overwhelmed by complex, overlapping proposals –with all but the smallest being decided by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU) or ministers.
Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council has now invited all Borders community councils to stand together and build a more powerful, coordinated front, with the first “Convention of our Community Councils” due to meet at Jedburgh Town Hall in January.
Bob Hope, chair of Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council, said: “The speed of transformational change is enormous. It is more important now, than ever before, that our impacted communities come together and try to speak with a combined voice on behalf of those who are being adversely impacted.
“This stronger, combined community-based voice should seek a place at the top table when decisions are made regarding our landscape, way of life and heritage.
“Some of us know of people who are moving away from impacted areas or who are seeing a reduction in the value of their homes and businesses, not to mention health and wellbeing impacts. That needs to be recognised and addressed at the top table.”
The Convention draws inspiration from the Highlands, where more than 50 Community Councils united earlier this year to demand a temporary pause on major renewables applications. That bold, grassroots action has already prompted MPs and MSPs to raise the issue at both Westminster and Holyrood, demonstrating the influence communities can wield when they stand together.
The meeting will take place at Jedburgh Town Hall on Saturday January 17, 2026, from 2pm to 4pm. It will be open to the public, and all political parties have been invited to attend. Cllr Helen Crawford, who spearheaded the Highland initiative, will address the event and support the formation of a Borders-wide response.
Heriot Community Council will be one of many represented at the meeting.
John Williams, chair of Heriot Community Council, said: “Communities are being bombarded with applications at a scale and speed that makes meaningful engagement almost impossible. When developments are pushed through faster than communities can respond, that’s not partnership – that’s imposition. It is time for government to pause, listen, and reset the process so that local people are no longer left powerless.”
Organisers emphasise that communities are not opposed to net zero or renewable energy, but are increasingly concerned about the current centralised planning process. Instead, it is a call for fairness, proper scrutiny, and a planning system that respects the people and landscapes most affected.
The letter sent to community councils can be found here.