Monday September 8th 2025
Scottish Borders Council headquarters
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A plea from conservationists for Borders’ councillors to object to a proposed wind farm was narrowly heeded today. (Monday, September 8)
Scottish Borders Council’s Planning & Building Standards Committee met this morning to consider an application for the Ditcher Law Wind Farm on land north, south and west of Vineleaf Cottage in Oxton.
Councillors were advised by council officers against raising an objection to the proposed wind farm despite acknowledgement of its “significant” visual impact on the Berwickshire village.
The proposal is for the erection of eight turbines with tip heights of 180m and 200m, and for a 30MW battery storage facility.
The ultimate say on the development rests with Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit, but the council objecting to the proposal could possibly trigger a public inquiry.
Before the meeting, Lauderdale Preservation Group urged committee members to oppose the application due to the “unacceptable damage” it would cause to the landscape.
And following a recent site visit members were divided on which route to take – with three votes not to object and three votes to object.
But the view of committee chair Councillor Simon Mountford, Conservative councillor for Kelso, provided the casting vote and the local authority’s objection to the scheme will now be relayed to Scottish Government.
Mr Mountford’s objection was based in particular on the impact the proposed development would have on six residential properties at the location.
He said: “There is going to be significant impact on three scheduled monuments, there are going to be significant visual impacts widely experienced across the upper part of the Leader Water Valley and the residential amenity threshold has been reached for six properties, where the impact will occupy substantial field of view.
“It is significant that six properties have reached that threshold.”
Speaking against objection, Councillor Donald Moffatt, SNP for Mid-Berwickshire, said: “It would be unrealistic to think that you could stop this proposal by us going against this today because I have gone against wind farms in my own area which in my mind were detrimental to the area and the reporters went against us because our views were not being taken seriously because as a committee we’d turned down virtually every wind farm that had been in front of us for quite a while.
“On balance I think our officers have got this right. I think if we were to go against this it wouldn’t really help anybody because I don’t think we’ll be taken seriously.”
Also voting not to object were Jedburgh’s Conservative councillor Sandy Scott and Councillor Eric Small, Conservative for Tweedddale West.
In addition to Councillor Mountford, objections were also voiced from Councillor Jane Cox, Conservative for Hawick & Hermitage and Councillor Marshall Douglas, SNP for Tweeddale East.
Members were informed that the council’s objection would on this occasion not automatically trigger a public inquiry because a required deadline had passed.
It will now be up to Scottish Ministers to judge whether the objection should result in such an inquiry.
The site is located on the eastern edge of the Lammermuir Hills extending across Ditcher Law and Headshaw Hill, with the Hillhouse Burn running between both hills. Within the site ground cover consists of rough grassland and heather with the land predominately used for livestock grazing.
The site is located within the Lammermuir Hills Special Landscape Area (SLA)
The Kelphope Burn runs through part of the eastern boundary. This forms part of the River Tweed Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
The SAC is designated for its Atlantic salmon, lamprey and as a water course typically supporting water crowfoot species.
A report to committee members acknowledged that “significant landscape and visual impacts are to be expected”, but added: “These effects are localised and appropriate mitigation has been applied, these impacts are to be considered as being acceptable.
“There are found to be significant landscape impacts from Oxton and its immediate surrounding area however against policy, these impacts are judged to represent localised impacts that national planning policies recognises as an expected consequence associated with the need for increased deployment of more efficient and taller wind turbines.
“From further south along the Leader Valley, some turbines appear uncomfortably prominent, nevertheless these views are mostly experienced from less sensitive transient locations where the windfarm is perceived to be within an upland environment.”
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