Tuesday August 11th 2026
Stirches site
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
An energy boss has hailed the “significant step forward” taken this week over plans for a major solar energy park in the Borders.
Scottish Borders Council Planning and Building Standards Committee raised no objection to Stirches Renewable Energy Park, a solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed on land south and east of Stirches Mains in Hawick, at the meeting held yesterday.
Comprising a 30 MW solar farm with an associated BESS of 30 MW capacity, a substation and ancillary infrastructure, the development is expected to generate the equivalent energy needed to meet the annual electricity needs of approximately 8,600 average UK households.
The BESS will store and release electricity to the grid, helping to maintain frequency and voltage stability, supporting Scotland’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
During the committee meeting, councillors discussed the proposal and supporting documents in detail, including the site layout plan, proposed mitigation measures and theoretical visibility figures.
Concerns were expressed at the visual impact of the development and there was acceptance that the attractiveness of the area to visitors would be “diminished”
But having weighed the potential impacts against the project’s wider benefits and mitigations, councillors voted to raise no objection to the application.
The planning authority’s decision follows a positive response from statutory consultees, which include Transport Scotland, NatureScot and SEPA.
It marks the last stage before the proposal is referred to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU), which will review public feedback and consultee responses before making a final decision.
Chris Peachey, lead planner for the development from IB vogt UK, a leading utility-scale solar developer, said: “We welcome the decision by the Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee, which marks a significant step forward for the project.
“Stirches Renewable Energy Park has been shaped through extensive technical assessment, surveys and valuable stakeholder engagement.
“It is a responsible, landscape-led solar and battery storage proposal that will contribute meaningfully to a low-carbon future.
“We are pleased the planning committee has recognised the project’s benefits, bringing us closer to delivering clean energy, biodiversity gains and employment opportunities to the local community and wider area.
“Subject to approval by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit, the development will prove crucial in meeting Scotland and the UK’s net-zero and energy security ambitions.”
In addition to clean energy generation, Stirches Renewable Energy Park will also deliver extensive wildlife habitat creation and tree planting.
Chris added: “We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the public consultation and planning application to date, and remain committed to open, transparent communications as we await the Energy Consents Unit’s decision.”
The turnaround for the Energy Consents Unit decision is estimated to be 12 months.
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