23 Jan 2026
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.
Without consultation, and with only 24 hours’ notice the Minister for Public Finance Ivan McKee wrote to local planning authorities on 15 January advising them of the change.
There has been no announcement or press release aimed at the general public, the most likely users of email as a channel.
From 16 January, any concern or objection to a windfarm proposal must be submitted to the ECU via an online portal, or by post.
Since the announcement, local residents have repeatedly tried to use the portal, only to find that all attempts to submit a comment were rejected, for any of the windfarm applications currently in the pipeline.
Rory Steel, chair of Lauderdale Preservation Group, said: “The primary route used by ordinary people to make their voice heard on windfarms has been suddenly withdrawn, without any public explanation.
“This is totally undemocratic and directly affects the ability of people to participate in decisions that reshape the landscape and make a huge difference to their local area.
“People in the Scottish Borders recognise the importance of renewable energy, but we are being blanketed in giant turbines that are visible for miles around, not to mention solar farms, battery storage sites and pylons. The ECU is rubber-stamping almost every windfarm application, even where the local authority has objected. Now we can’t even make a comment on it – this is a scandal.”
The controversial ECU has been in the headlines after it emerged that almost 50 energy developments have been pushed through against the wishes of local communities in Scotland since 2020.
Community councils, community groups and local residents have described the planning process as ‘not fit for purpose’.
The Scottish Borders has become a go-to area for wind farm development. There are over 30 significant schemes operational in the Scottish Borders Council area, three under construction, and over 20 in the planning system, despite growing concern about the impact on the landscape, biodiversity and residential areas.
One Councillor in the Highlands, Ruraidh Stewart, recently called for the ECU to be scrapped, describing it as ‘a tool for bypassing local democracy, allowing SNP ministers to overrule community concerns and council objections.’