Secret Scoop Hill chat

SCOOP Hill Windfarm is back on the council’s agenda next week for reasons unknown, with plans to exclude the public from the meeting.

The controversial 60-turbine scheme and a battery energy system proposed by Community Windpower Ltd (CWL), five kilometres south-east of Moffat, went before a Scottish Government public enquiry in December 2024.

It was then officially rejected by officials from the Scottish Government’s Energy Consensus Unit in February, with the reporter citing landscape and visual effects; the impact on Eskdalemuir Seismological Recording Station and Array; net economic impact, including effects on tourism and the benefits of the proposed development as some of the reasons for its refusal.

However, now it’s back on the agenda for Dumfries and Galloway Council’s planning committee meeting next Thursday, with a report by the assistant director of governance and human resources.

But interested residents may not be able to hear its contents as there is a proposal to exclude the public from the meeting immediately prior to the report being discussed.

Offering an insight into why the report would be heard privately, Annandale North councillor Stephen Thompson, who sits on the planning committee, yesterday said: “It is likely that it is a request for a judicial review, and the reason for it to be heard in private could be because the council may receive privileged legal advice.

“The council has no role in the review process but as the planning authority may be invited to respond, but that is not confirmed and I haven’t seen the report yet.

“This is something that the developer can pursue to challenge the reporter’s decision because they don’t agree with it or have issues with the process.”

This was then confirmed by a council spokesperson, who added: “The committee is being asked to consider excluding the public for this item because the report contains confidential legal information that cannot be shared publicly under local government legislation.

“For that reason, it would not be appropriate for the council to comment further at this time.”

When approached this week, community leaders in Moffat were initially unaware of the return of Scoop Hill into the public arena, but are now making their own enquires into the matter.