Council votes overwhelmingly to oppose Wind Farm – Duns Lees Hill SOS Press release

The application for s. 36 consent for the so-called Lees Hill
Renewable Energy Park 1, promoted by Fred Olsen Renewables Ltd
and their ‘associated’ consultants, Natural Power Ltd, along with
their landscape architects, MVGLA, came before Scottish Borders
Council’s Planning Committee on Monday as a “s.36 consultation”.
In a neutral and well reasoned presentation, free of planning jargon,
and using the applicant’s own visual material, Lead Planning Officer
Mr Barry Fotheringham carefully explained the detailed Officer’s
Report which had been made available for Committee Members’ and
public scrutiny some ten days earlier.
The Report’s author, Mr Kyle Wise, also an SBC Planning Officer, had
meticulously examined the proposals from top to bottom. He
concluded that despite the official encouragement given by NPF
4, any benefits of renewable generation in this location were simply
not outweighed by the significantly adverse landscape and visual
impacts, on the Merse of Berwickshire, on the Westruther Moor and
the Dirringtons to the west, and the picturesque road to Gavinton
from Duns.
Dunleeshillsos.com, the local third party action group, had argued in
their submissions that the residential visual and noise impacts
would be excessive (making nearby homes unpleasant places in
which to live). The proximity to a nationally important gas pipeline,
and the potential impacts on birds were matters of concern but were
not highlighted today. No doubt they played their part.
Members held an informed debate, clearly showing acute awareness
of the importance of impacts on people and places of value. They
accepted the Planning Officer’s recommendation in a decisive 6 – 1
vote.
Opportunistic development of this kind, serving only farmers’ and
developers’ financial ambitions, should be firmly discouraged. This
case is a severe lesson for those who put windfarms etc. just
anywhere.
The honourable thing for this developer to do now would be to
withdraw this application before it goes further, recognising the
strength of the argument put forward by the council, the people of,
Gavinton, Polwarth, Westruther, Duns and the surrounding area. The
applicants can and should focus on Crystal Rig, where their fourth
phase is well under construction and from where the power can
actually be exported. If they do so they would earn some respect
from the community.
[END] 1 6 x 200m turbines,; 70ha of solar panels, spread over the hillside, and a Battery
Storage unit and sub station adjacent to the Duns/Westruther Road.