Scottish Borders “under attack” from industrial wind farms, says local MP

Speaking out in Parliament this week, local MP John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) warned that the Scottish Borders is being overwhelmed by an onslaught of wind farms, solar farms, and towering pylons, all driven by what he calls the Labour Government’s “obsessive pursuit” of Net Zero targets.

Lamont brought the issue to Prime Minister’s Questions, highlighting how energy policies led by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband are resulting in a flood of speculative planning applications that threaten to permanently disfigure the Borders’ unique countryside. From industrial wind farms sprawling across once-unspoiled hillsides to solar arrays encroaching near towns and villages, locals are increasingly concerned that their views and voices are being ignored.

Lamont said: “People are disgusted by the energy secretary’s obsessive pursuit of Net Zero at any cost. The Scottish Borders is under attack with solar farms beside towns, massive wind farms and now mega pylons scarring unspoiled landscapes. Nobody sensible supports his crazed, crank policies which will put jobs at risk and rip up farmland.”

His comments were met with disdain by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who dismissed the concerns.

Lamont added: “Nobody sensible supports his crazed, crank policies which will put jobs at risk and rip up farm land. So when will be prime minister step in and stop the energy secretary throwing taxpayers money at this nonsense?”

But for many residents of the Borders, it’s not about rejecting renewable energy — it’s about demanding a fair, balanced, and locally accountable approach.

The pushback is growing. With wind turbines already looming over many parts of the countryside and new proposals arriving thick and fast, local campaigners and councillors are calling for a moratorium on further large-scale developments until a more sensible and sustainable approach can be agreed upon — one that values people and place.