Tuesday May 26th 2026
Photo by Seth
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Scottish Borders councillors will be recommended to show red cards to two wind farm developments when they meet next week.
Members of the council’s Planning and Building Standards Committee are to consider the applications on Monday, June 1.
They are being advised to formally object to the Energy Consents Unit over a plan for a wind farm at Longcroft Farmhouse at Oxton comprising 12 turbines with maximum tip heights of 220m, in addition to a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a capacity for 50 MW.
It is further recommended that councillors refuse an application for a three wind turbine development up to 180m high on land at Monashee Farm in Drakemyre near Granthouse.
Both applications are being opposed due to their negative visual impact on the environment.
A report on the Oxton proposal states: “The development will pose significant adverse effects on the setting of Addinston, Longcroft and Glenburnie hillforts.
“The scale and siting of the turbines will significantly detract from their inter-visibility and dominate key views, integral to the setting of these scheduled monuments and their cultural appreciation.”
A report recommending refusal of the Granthouse bid says: “The proposals will visibly enter the lowland area of the Merse, introducing large scale wind turbines into the landscape, which is greater in sensitivity due to its simple and large landscape, with limited vertical punctuation and habitation, leading to limited natural screening and a greater number of receptors.”
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