Greystone Knowe to be discussed at pre-inquiry meeting tomorrow

It is a public meeting ahead of the formal inquiry and can be watched here.

This meeting – which was triggered after councillors from Scottish Borders Council lodged a formal objection in March this year – will address some very important issues for anyone with an interest in Greystone Knowe and the way wind farm applications are dealt with.

Due to the scale of the wind farm (consisting of 14 turbines), the final decision on approval or refusal lies with the Scottish Government’s Energy Consent Unit (ECU). A public inquiry is being held due to the objection from Scottish Borders Councillors.

The developer (Coriolis Energy and ESB) is looking to secure permission ‘in principle’ to proceed with this wind farm despite widespread local objection, as well as the fact that the issue concerning Eskdalemuir Seismic Array (ESA) remains unresolved.

Wind farms are not currently permitted within 50 kilometres of the ESA, a seismological monitoring station which is the UK’s primary asset for tracking underground nuclear tests. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) – which has objected to Greystone Knowe – is part of a consultation which is underway to explore whether or not they can relax the safeguarding zone for the ESA.

In the case of Greystone Knowe, due to its location with the safeguarding zone, there is a concern regarding the adverse vibration effects of the proposed wind turbines on the ESA, which is deemed by the MOD to be contrary to national interest.

The ESA’s technical research is unfinished, and there is no indication of when the consultation will be resolved. Therefore, as it stands, the Scottish Government’s new policy on the safeguarding zone has not yet been formed.

For those who are concerned about the proliferation of wind farms in the Scottish Borders, many support the belief that any public inquiry should be held and come to a view when all supporting information is available rather than a developer trying to get a ‘suspensive’ approval that would mean had the go-ahead if the ESA issued is resolved.

There is a concern that holding an inquiry that will only tackle some of the issues (and therefore keeping the ESA issue separate) will result in an outcome that is inefficient, incomplete and much more expensive than it needs to be.

These matters will be discussed in more detail during tomorrow’s meeting (available to watch from 10am tomorrow). We will provide an update on the outcome of the meeting later this week.