BBC Scotland reports (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrv2089gq2o) that progress on a giant wind farm in the Borders has stalled. The developer, Muirhall Energy (who are also behind the controversial North Logiealmond proposal west of Dunkeld), has withdrawn its application to erect 52 turbines up to 240m high on the rural Teviot site south of Hawick – but it plans to re-apply for an amended project. The BBC report quotes Dr Chris Ford – author of an expert report for Save Glen Lednock last year – who flags up the wider implications: ‘A sensible developer would look at what’s happened here and realise if Teviot wind farm can’t go ahead, what chance does theirs have?’

Meantime SSE – developer of the proposed Glentarken Wind Farm – have advised our local PKC Councillor, Stewart Donaldson, that it will soon be responding to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit request for better photomontages of the planned turbines as seen from Ben Lawers, Ben More, Schiehallion, Mor Bheinn and Meall an t-Seallaidh. These photomontages will be available for viewing (probably from mid-August) for 30 days on their web site and the ECU’s site, but – despite the visual impacts of the turbines stretching for many miles – physically only in St Fillans (the Village Store, 09.00-12.00 Mondays to Saturdays). We urge our supporters to view the new documents and make a formal objection to the ECU.

We have yet to see any evidence of SSE responding to their failure to assess the environmental and other impacts of a physical connection from Glentarken to the National Grid in its original Planning Application.