Plans for Scottish Borders windfarm rejected for a third time

An application to build a wind farm in the Scottish Borders has been rejected for the third time.

Scottish Borders Council previously turned down the eight-turbine Wull Muir scheme near Heriot and an appeal to the Scottish government was also unsuccessful in 2020.

Revised plans had been submitted which suggested moving the turbines and increasing them in size.

But the local authority rejected the plans on the grounds there would be “significant landscape and visual impacts” in the area.

Permission for the original project – close to the boundary with Midlothian – was turned down by the council in February 2020 on the grounds of its “unacceptable significant adverse impacts on the landscape”.

The developers appealed against that decision and took the case to the Scottish government which confirmed the scheme should not proceed.

Revised plans were submitted which suggested moving the turbines away from the Lammersmuir and Moorfoot escarpment.

The new proposals also suggested the turbines been increased in size, to 149m (489ft).

A report to the planning committee recommended the approval of the new plans, despite widespread opposition locally, but councillors rejected them.