30 May 2025
Councillors are being urged to challenge a proposed major wind farm development that would see the tallest wind turbines in the Scottish Borders being sited in the heart of the Lammermuir Hills.
The development comprises 14 turbines, some reaching 220 metres in height, and would be located in a Special Landscape Area.
Planning officials have recommended to members of the council’s planning committee that they do not object to the Dunside scheme even though it is accepted the wind turbines “would become a dominating feature within the Lammermuir Hills.”
If approved, the Dunside Wind Farm would adjoin the existing 48-turbine Fallago Rig scheme, with its much smaller turbines —effectively transforming the remaining open hills into a continuous wind farm landscape.
The proposal is set to be considered at the Scottish Borders Council Planning and Building Standards Committee meeting on Monday 2 June. Councillors are being urged to at least carry out a site visit before reaching a conclusion.
The proposal is effectively a re-run of Fallago Rig 2 – a project for fewer and smaller turbines which was rejected by Scottish Borders Council and subsequently by the Scottish Government in June 2020, due to significant concerns over its visual and landscape impact.
Councillors have been advised not to object to Dunside Wind Farm by the Council’s planning officer, citing the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) as justification. Scottish Borders Council is a consultee in applications such as this scheme and decisions on approval rest with the centralised Energy Consents Unit established by the Scottish Government to deal with large-scale applications.
A spokesperson for Borders Wind Farm Watch, said: “NPF4 does not mean ‘approve all proposals at all costs’, yet that’s exactly what seems to be happening here. There are multiple objections and the planning officer himself recognises the impact this wind farm and the massive turbines would have. This is not the right place to create a large-scale wind farm landscape.”
The proposed development would have significant, widespread landscape and visual impacts—not just local ones—due to its location in the central Lammermuir Hills, a sensitive and designated Special Landscape Area. It would fill in the crucial gap between existing wind farms on the eastern and western edges and would severely affect the area's character.
The planning officer’s report acknowledges the impact of the development on the landscape. His report states: “The turbines would become a dominating feature within the Lammermuir Hills…”. It also states, “This proposal would intensify cumulative effects within a central part of the Lammermuirs.”
Noting the impact of the existing Fallago Rig wind farm, his report adds: “…Proximity to Fallago Rig does mean that the two schemes have a close landscape and visual relationship. As a result, most of the landscape and visual effects arising from this proposal are experienced in association with the operational Fallago Rig array.”
This latest application comes despite multiple objections from statutory consultees such as the Ministry of Defence, NatureScot, NATS, Edinburgh Airport, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Historic Environment Scotland and more, as well as formal concerns raised by key environmental stakeholder organisations such as Restoring Upland Nature (formerly South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project) and RSPB.
The additional energy capacity is also unnecessary. At the national level, Scotland already has more than enough wind energy capacity either operational, under construction, or awaiting construction or in planning — totalling nearly 49GW—far exceeding both current and projected peak demand, which is expected to remain below 11GW even by 2050. Locally, wind turbines are often seen standing idle despite windy conditions, highlighting ongoing issues with supply-demand imbalance and grid constraints.
Last year, a petition titled ‘Planning Procedures in respect of S36 Applications’ urged Scottish Borders Council to review and enhance how its Planning Officers manage documentation and provide guidance on wind farm applications submitted under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.
The petition highlighted issues related to transparency, local involvement, and inclusivity. Although many Councillors acknowledged that the current process is inadequate, steps have yet to be taken to implement improvements.
The spokesperson added: “Councillors have in the past expressed sympathy with the view that local voices need to be heard considering wind farm applications that are ultimately determined by the Energy Consents Unit.
“In view of the above Borders Wind Farm Watch urges the planning committee to see first-hand the potential impact of Dunside by undertaking a site visit at the very earliest opportunity and to reflect the major concerns over this development by sending a holding objecting to the proposal.”
Submitting a holding objection is not a final decision. It simply allows elected representatives to see the site, better understand the landscape, visual, and environmental impacts, and provide greater transparency in what is clearly a contested and sensitive case.
Local businesses and community groups are calling for balanced decision-making – decisions that weigh national priorities alongside local knowledge and democratic representation.