Objectors to energy projects ‘shut out’

The Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit (ECU) has been accused of hindering local opposition to wind farms by scrapping email objections and restricting submissions to a new online portal, a move labelled undemocratic by critics. Only letters sent by post or online submissions via the portal will be allowed. Campaigners in the Borders claim the ECU “secretly” put a limit of 37,000 characters on submissions to their online system – just over 6,000 words without consulting members of the public. The controversial decision has angered Borderers who say local authorities were only given 24-hour notice of the decision to scrap email objections, claiming the Minister for Public Finance Ivan McKee wrote to councils on January 15, advising them of the change, which came into force the following day. The move was explained by the Scottish Government as a way to simplify the process. However, those objecting say none of the concerns submitted by members of the public have appeared on the ECU portal and local residents have not received any acknowledgment that their comments are being registered. And activists say Lauderdale is being industrialised against the wishes of the public. Rory Steel, chair of Lauderdale Preservation Group, said: “First they ban us from emailing them, and now we’ve found out that documents over 37,000 characters are being rejected. This is woefully insufficient when you consider the length of applications submitted by the developers and what is needed to respond to them. We also don’t know whether previous submissions have been accepted or discarded. “If that wasn’t bad enough, the new ‘modernised’ portal is completely out of action and not accepting comments of any length. We are being shut out, blocked and ignored. Will they say that no-one has objected to the next round of giant turbines, solar farms, battery storage sites and pylons? Lauderdale is being industrialised, totally against the wishes of ordinary people.” The objection from the Lauderdale Preservation Group to an application at Glenburnie ran to over 60,000 characters, so it would have been rejected under the new system. There were more than 90 objections to the Glenburnie development by local residents and community councils. The scheme has undergone significant design changes and a change in ownership since the initial application. It was controversially re-branded as Glenburnie following objections to the original proposal, submitted under the name ‘Longcroft’. Sarah St Pierre of the Borthwickwater Landscape Conservation Group said: “These are major developments which have a huge impact in the local area. Wind turbines are often 200 metres in height – they are visible for miles around and are already scarring the landscape. We have to be able to respond in detail to a detailed application. It is totally unacceptable that we are being ignored by the ECU. The deadline for the next application was January 31, and we know people were trying to submit comments – but no-one has been able to do so. “The behaviour of the ECU is extremely questionable, especially when the Mid Hill development is so controversial due to the sensitivity of the country’s nuclear defence. It is essential that the community’s voice is heard, especially as the MoD have already put in an objection to Mid Hill due to ‘the unmanageable impact the proposed wind farm would have on the operation of the Eskdalemuir Sesimology recording station’.” The ECU has been under renewed scrutiny after it emerged that almost 50 energy developments have been pushed through against the wishes of local communities in Scotland since 2020. The Midhill windfarm application by developer Invenergy, America’s largest private renewable energy company, seeks approval for 13 turbines up to 200 metres tall, along with an energy storage facility in the Borthwickwater Valley, a tranquil area known for its red squirrels and birdlife. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “This modernised system is designed to simplify the submissions process, provide instant confirmation that submissions have been received, increase transparency, strengthen safeguards, improve efficiency and enable more consistent analysis and reporting of community concerns.” The south of Scotland is home to the highest concentration of battery storage developments in Scotland, as well as a large number of renewable energy projects like wind farms. The Scottish Government has set 2045 as its target for net zero and is investing heavily into green energy production.