12 Nov 2025
A coalition of Scottish Borders community councils has formally objected to a proposed wind farm near Hawick, citing “significant errors and omissions” in the developer’s application, as well as an “ongoing lack of collaboration and respect” for the local communities affected.
The Millmoor Rig Wind Farm, proposed by Dublin-based energy company ESB, seeks planning permission to construct up to 13 turbines reaching 230 metres in height, making them some of the tallest turbines in the Borders. The development would be built on land owned by the Church of England.
The site lies in an area already under heavy development pressure, with 13 other wind projects currently in scoping or planning.
Seven community councils from the surrounding area have signed the joint objection, claiming the developer has failed to engage meaningfully with local residents or reflect the true character of the area in its Environmental Impact Assessment.
In the objection letter it states: “The Consultation process for Millmoor Rig has raised a number of further concerns and Red Flags for the local communities throughout the process. After the lodging of the Additional Information these concerns have now become acute.”
It also adds: “The application by ESB at Millmoor Rig does the industry no credit thus far. The application is also not supported by local communities given the consistent and ongoing lack of collaboration and respect, which is unlikely to be restored without a significant change in approach. With the huge number of applications proposed for the area, standards of engagement have to improve significantly from a community perspective.”
Philip Kerr, chair of Southdean Community Council, said: “New properties have been built since, more eagles are flying around and there should be things in their plans that there aren’t. Private water supply is all in the wrong places, for example. There’s just example after example showing they haven’t done their homework.”
Mr Kerr said the group’s concerns stem in part from lessons learned at Pines Burn Wind Farm, another project near Hawick that faced severe construction delays and transport issues.
He said: “It was just a car crash. Part of those issues were a failure to understand a community and being ignored. We don’t want to go down that road again.”
Among the errors in ESB’s application are omissions of nearly two-thirds of local tourist accommodation, inaccuracies in peat depth and condition assessments, and incomplete mapping of private water supplies.
The objections come as local communities develop Local Place Plans – a new feature of Scottish Government planning reforms intended to give residents a stronger voice in shaping development in their areas.
Mr Kerr added: “The place plan process has meant we have a much greater understanding within our area and it therefore shows even more how little these developers have done when it comes to doing their homework.”
The Millmoor Rig Wind Farm proposal remains under consideration by Scottish Borders Council, with further consultation expected before a final decision is made.
More information on the development is available here: https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationDetails.aspx?cr=ECU00003426 (the joint objection was uploaded to the ECU on 22 October and is available via ‘Public Representations’ document name ‘Representations 50 – 56’)