Tuesday September 29th 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
A decision on plans for a third solar farm in West Lothian has been delayed for a second time.
The full council had expected to debate the proposal for farmland near Kirknewton when it met last week.
Councillors were told a decision had been made by the Governance Manager to refer the plan back to the Development Management Committee, which meets monthly.
Almost 200 acres of farmland on the fringe of the Pentland Hills could be covered in panels if the plan is given the go ahead.
Trio Power ltd have applied for planning permission to build a 40 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) installation across a 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 proposed development will consist of 9ft high solar panel modules, security fencing and access paths as well as the sub station.
Papers presented to the DMC outlined: “The proposed battery energy storage (BESS), will be located in a compound adjacent to and accessed from Leyden Road. The BESS will have a capacity of 9 MW. The BESS compound will include a power conversion system (PCS) which enables the batteries to switch between inverter and charging modes.”
A report to councillors added: “The site is made up of a number of fields separated by Leyden Road and with established tree belts. The topography of the site is typically undulating with the general slope downwards to the north.
“The site is rural in nature, consisting of predominantly Class 4.2 with some Class 3.2 for land capability for agricultural and is land mainly used for arable farming and grazing.
“The operational life of the proposed development will be 40 years with the proposed construction period to be between 8 to 12 months. The proposed grid connection will be to the Currie substation to the east.”
The application has attracted 47 objections. There are only three letters of support, including one from Kirknewton Community Council.
The operational life of the proposed development will be 40 years with the proposed construction period to be between 8 to 12 months. The proposed grid connection will be to the Currie substation to the east.
Planning officers have recommended granting planning permission with conditions.
There have already been concerns raised that the plan has no accompanying proposals to develop a connection to the national grid at the substation in the southwestern Edinburgh suburb. It is accepted practice that such applications are made in tandem because the work needs to be done in tandem.
An initial decision was delayed in July when local councillor Damian Doran-Timson withdrew from the meeting having declared an interest. Because of holidays too few councillors were at the committee meeting to make the decision.
In a first for the committee the decision was passed to the September meeting of the full council.
However a paper before councillors at this month’s meeting outlined: “The Clerk has determined, in accordance with authority delegated to them under [Standing Order] SO31, that the Proposal will be remitted to the Development Management Committee for determination. “
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