The Scottish Government is proposing to increase community benefit for onshore wind project by 20 per cent from the current £5,000 per installed megawatt to £6,000 per year. The payments made by energy developers to local communities will continue to be voluntary under the latest proposals, with no statutory requirement. Read more
Appeal judges have overturned a Scottish Government decision giving permission to build a wind farm project which had previously been rejected three times. The Scottish Borders Council first turned down the Wull Muir scheme near the village of Heriot in the Moorfoot Hills south east of Edinburgh in 2020. The Read more
Please do respond to this very important consultation. Fulfilling a commitment to the Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee in response to the Scotland Against Spin Petition PE1864, Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms, the Scottish Government has issued a final consultation Read more
Communities across Scotland are missing out on millions of pounds from wind farms because their owners are paying less than expected to locals, a Ferret investigation has found. Since 2014, the Scottish Government has recommended onshore wind developers pay £5,000 to nearby communities each year for every megawatt they install. Read more
WIND turbines could be erected near the grounds of three local schools, according to early council proposals. East Ayrshire Council has requested a feasibility study to look at the possibility of siting the structures close to Doon Academy, Catrine Primary School and Ochiltree Primary. A notice published by Public Contracts Read more
Scottish Government planners have approved a large wind farm development in the Lammermuir Hills Special Landscape Area, overriding an objection lodged by Scottish Borders Council. The council’s concerns over Ditcher Law in the Borders would usually trigger a public local inquiry but the Energy Consent Unit has ruled that the stance Read more
Campaigners from the Highlands and across Scotland, are calling for the Scottish Government to increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore wind farms. One of those calls is in the form of a petition being heard by a Scottish Parliament committee today. The petition (PE1864) calls Read more
As we were expecting, due to the upcoming election, all of the energy related petitions were closed today. Please do listen to all the discussions. Petitioners were advised to update/resubmit petitions if no further progress is made. From our own point of view, the Scottish Government has agreed to consult Read more