Scoop Hill drama not done yet

MOFFAT’S Scoop Hill windfarm saga will go before the Court of Session after the developers launched a legal challenge against its rejection.

The controversial 60-turbine scheme and a battery energy system proposed by Community Windpower Ltd (CWL), five kilometres south-east of the town returned to the public arena at the council’s planning committee last Thursday.

But the public were excluded from proceedings as councillors heard a report by the assistant director of governance and human resources.

This week Dumfries and Galloway Council confirmed that CWL are challenging Holyrood’s decision to reject the scheme.

A council spokesperson yesterday said: “Dumfries and Galloway Council has been notified of a legal challenge by CWL Energy Limited against the Scottish Ministers’ decision to refuse consent for the proposed Scoop Hill Wind Farm.

“The council is not the decision-maker in this case. The decision being challenged was made by Scottish Ministers following the public inquiry process.

“The council was notified as an interested party because it had previously objected to the proposal on landscape and visual impact grounds.

“Elected members considered an exempt report on the matter at the Planning Applications Committee on Thursday 28 May.

“As this is now a matter before the Court of Session, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the detail of the case.”

It is a substantial blow for Moffat and District Community Council and the wider community who represented the town during the public enquiry in December 2024.

A spokesperson said: “The community council objected to the proposal on multiple grounds, including landscape impact, tourism impact etc.

“At this point, news is only slowly emerging, there will be very few folks aware of the situation, so community views will build up over coming weeks as awareness increases.

“There are five other proposals in play for the Upper Annandale Valley, including Rivox, Kinnelhead, Watchman. Clyde South and the battery energy storage proposal for in-between Moffat and Beattock by Conrad Energy. There is considerable disquiet about the battery storage proposal in particular.

“The community council is both concerned and disappointed by this challenge to the exhaustive and detailed planning and legal process this flawed application has already been through.”

Weighing in on events, Dumfriesshire MSP Craig Hoy has described it as a ‘David versus Goliath situation’.

He added: “This latest attempt to override local opposition to the Scoop Hill windfarm development is deeply concerning and will rightly anger the local community.

“Well resourced windfarm and renewables developers should not be permitted to apply or appeal time and time again in the hope they finally get the green light.

“It’s time for a moratorium on new onshore windfarms, mega pylons, solar farms and battery storage - and a full review of the flawed consenting process, which all too often ignores the views of local residents.”