NEWS
CAMPAIGNERS WELCOME ‘SIGNIFICANT SETBACK’ FOR GLEN LEDNOCK WIND FARM PLANS
Press release from Save Glen Lednock – not for publication until 21 May 2026
CAMPAIGNERS WELCOME ‘SIGNIFICANT SETBACK’ FOR GLEN LEDNOCK WIND FARM PLANS
The Save Glen Lednock campaign has welcomed news that the Scottish Government – as a result of a Court of Session ruling in February [1] – has shifted the Glen Lednock wind farm proposal backwards in the national planning process. The application by multinational developer Low Carbon had moved forward from consideration by the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) [2], but the proposal has been sent back to the ECU, who have now [3] asked Low Carbon to clarify the impact of the infrastructure connection from their proposed wind farm to the National Grid – something which was not done in their planning application and Environmental Impact Appraisal.
Martin Downing of Save Glen Lednock welcomed this new twist:
‘This is a significant setback for Low Carbon. We pointed out back in March [4] that the Court of Session ruling on the Raeshaw Farms / Wull Muir wind farm should have massive implications for the Glen Lednock development, and it’s good to see that the Scottish Government have confirmed this.
‘The only mentions of the grid connections in the Low Carbon planning application were brief paragraphs stating that the wind farm would be connected to the grid’s Killin sub-station. Bearing in mind these connections would cross miles of sensitive upland landscapes – adjacent to the National Park and National Scenic Areas – which are home to many species of birds of prey, it is illogical that the environmental impacts have been virtually ignored.’
As well as the landmark Court of Session ruling, the Save Glen Lednock group has welcomed the impact of a UK-wide reform, Mr Downing commenting:
‘The publication of the connections reform process by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) in December last year confirmed that connections for proposed onshore wind farms in Scotland will have to be seriously limited over at least the next ten years, in order to provide some strategic rationale to energy policy and reduce the queue of speculative projects, such as Glen Lednock, that are clogging up the system.
‘The fact that the wind farm industry last week announced the creation of a new lobbying group, the Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum [5], suggests that the developers are getting increasingly worried by the policy and legal trends, and indeed by the Scotland-wide impact of campaigns like Save Glen Lednock.’
More info: Martin Downing on 07909-964456
Notes for editors:
[1] BBC News Scotland: Court overturns Scottish government’s wind farm approval. – Save Glen Lednock
[2] The Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) is a division of the Scottish Government responsible for managing and administering planning and environmental appeals across Scotland.
[3] The attached extract from the ECU web site (here) shows recent correspondence between the ECU and Low Carbon re the implications of the Court of Session ruling on the Raeshaw Farms / Wull Muir wind farm.
[4] The attached press release from Save Glen Lednock (here) includes quotes from the campaign about the Court of Session ruling.
[5] See https://sowdf.co.uk/. Members include Low Carbon.
END OF PRESS RELEASE