Thursday October 8th 2026
Open countryside off Leyden Road near Kirknewton which could soon be covered in solar panels (copyright: West Lothian Council)
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
Councillors took just 40 minutes to agree to a solar farm built to last 40 years on the fringes of the Pentland Hills.
The plan to develop almost 200 acres of open countryside at Kirknewton would maintain the viability of the farm, a meeting of the Development Management Committee heard.
But one of the more than 40 local objectors told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he had “great unease with this application and the way it has been dealt with.”
Local Councillor Damian Doran-Timson, the Conservative group leader, had already registered his objections to the plans for the farmland on Leyden Road, south of Kirknewton and withdrew from the meeting.
Councillors who remained gave qualified agreement to the plan.
The local community council supported the plan, having been promised a community benefit fund worth £26,000 a year.
The solar farm will comprise around 83,000 solar panels that will produce up to 40MW of electricity and a nine MW battery energy storage system (BESS) that will store excess energy and release it to the grid when it is most needed.
The project, from Perthshire-based BLC Energy, will generate enough renewable energy to power over 12,500 homes each year.
The 188 acre site- currently open fields on the eastern and western side of Leyden Road which connects the main A70 Lang Whang road to Kirknewton.
The development will consist of 9ft high solar panel modules, security fencing and access paths as well as the sub station.
The farm will connect to a substation at Currie, 13 miles away in south-western Edinburgh.
It was believed that a planning application for this work would have to be made at the same time but a recent court ruling overturned this. The meeting heard that a separate plans for the connection work by underground cable would be made in 2030.
Planning papers addressed decommissioning of the land – in around 2070. They said: “Decommissioning would be relatively straightforward, with the majority of the structures and equipment being able to be disassembled and removed easily and utilising the same methodology, in reverse, as construction. The limited physical infrastructure that is required on the ground area for a solar farm allows for quick restoration of land back to agricultural use.”
The site will occupy open fields on both sides of Leyden Road which climbs southwards, just under a mile from Kirknewton.
Many of the objectors detailed concerns about the loss of woodland and countryside to those living nearest, at Newlands.
One, Dr Paul Wilk told the LDRS: “I was down to speak but did not attend due to my current ill health.
“I don’t believe the objections were given proper and fair treatment in the third version of the case officers report. I have included a précis of the objection points and their sources as one of the attachments for reference.
“Not sure a five-minute presentation would have been enough to get the attachment information across anyway. I suspect it overloaded the councillors, but I wanted it to be published and put on the record.
“I received confirmation from the Forestry Commission yesterday on felling which tells a different story to the one I was told previously and the one currently told by WLC!”
An agent for the developers gave assurances on the screen planting. He told the meeting that it would include 100 new heavy standard trees, 45km of new woodland, 10km of shrubs and 760m of hedgerow.
He added that extra work was also planned to improve the biodiversity of the areas including small mammal gates for foxes to traverse the site.
Deirdre Barr, whose family owns the farmland, told the meeting: “We see this as an opportunity to strengthen the long term future of the farm. This is about making sensible long term decisions for the future.
“I don’t see renewable energy and farmland as being in conflict.”
Ms Barr added that she could understand concerns raised but added that this was low grade agricultural land. She believed the plan achieved the “right balance” between renewable energy and high quality food production that would enable the long term future resilience of farming in the area.
Councillor Tony Boyle asked planting could be put in around the homes at Newlands before construction work began. This was echoed by Councillor Pauline Clark.
She said she had sympathy with neighbours of the site and welcomed a commitment to begin screening planting. “I would like it to be conditioned that the planting does start as soon as possible.”
Councillor Harry Cartmill chairing the meeting: “ Planting starting ASAP would be very helpful. I would approve the officers’ proposals and would add Councillor Clark’s condition that planting begin as soon as possible.”
After the decision Neil Lindsay, managing director of BLC Energy, said: “The team worked very hard on the project’s design to ensure it is sensitive to the local landscape.
“The planting of trees and hedgerows that will screen the site will also provide an increase in biodiversity.
“We’re offering a community benefit fund of £26,000 each year for the 40-year life of the project.
“We believe those living closest to any development should benefit most, so we are investigating the potential of establishing a local energy discount scheme to offer the nearest households reduced energy bills.”
John Sives, chair of Kirknewton Community Council, said: “Kirknewton Community Council unanimously decided to support the Kirknewton Solar and BESS Farm.
“BLC Energy collaborated with us throughout the consultation process on the design, and we’re very pleased at the level of community benefit that will be made available to the local community.”
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