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Wind farm inquiry to go ahead yet residents say ‘enough is enough’

24 Jan 2025

A public inquiry will launch on Monday 27 January over plans for a controversial onshore wind farm near Heriot in the Scottish Borders.

Residents, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Scottish Borders Council and local community groups including Heriot Community Council and Fountainhall Action Group have all robustly opposed the proposal to build 14 turbines with a maximum tip height of 180 metres at the Greystone Knowe development site. The site is 2km from Heriot and 2.5km from Fountainhall.


The development has been put forward by Irish state-owned energy company ESB and British-based Coriolis Energy. Last year Scottish Borders Council lodged a formal objection to the scheme due to concerns over its environmental impact.


The MoD’s objection is on the basis that the site lies within the safeguarding zone of the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array (ESA), a monitoring station which is one of the UK’s primary assets for tracking underground nuclear tests and earthquakes worldwide. Wind farms are not currently permitted within 50 kilometres of the ESA but a consultation is underway to explore whether or not the safeguarding zone for the ESA may be reduced.


At a preliminary meeting late last year, Heriot Community Council and other local groups argued that in view of the fact that the MoD objects and Scottish Government does not currently permit wind farms within the 50 kilometre zone, a recommendation should be made to Ministers that the application should be refused.


However, the developers argued that an inquiry could go ahead and, if they were successful on all other issues, they would agree not to build the wind farm until the MoD policy changed. The Scottish Government Reporter ruled in favour of the developers and therefore the inquiry will be going ahead on that basis.


Last week Heriot community also faced another setback following the shock approval for controversial Wull Muir Wind Farm despite three previous rejections. Scottish Borders Council had previously rejected the scheme twice, due to its significant visual impact, and a subsequent appeal by the developer was also dismissed. 


John Williams, Chair of Heriot Community Council, said: “We are feeling very bruised about the Wull Muir decision, but we must now immediately turn to participate in the public local inquiry for Greystone Knowe, when it seems the odds are heavily stacked against local communities.


“It is clear that our community is feeling increasingly voiceless, with locals are saying that enough is enough, but our concerns appear to be ignored. The Greystone Knowe appeal should have been refused from the outset given the Ministry of Defence’s objection. There appears to be overriding government support for any wind farm in Scotland. It doesn’t matter how large it is or how many people are badly affected, or indeed whether national security interests are compromised. Our wonderful Borders landscape is now on the point of being irrevocably changed.”


The public inquiry is completely open to the public and can be streamed here: https://dpea.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/949597?fbclid=IwY2xjawIATVBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZfUFESjjQSe3kkBJwn9xLVXzPYwTbx1niMvuiQuJPN_BVBDlOM3ili_pA_aem_ekvRpHj6lBCn2TPyrfemQg


Al the papers are lodged on the DPEA web site, and can be found using the Ref WIN-140-9.

 

Borders Wind Farm Watch is a cross-community initiative which  monitors wind farm development in the Scottish Borders.

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