Concerned residents could previously email their objections to the Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU), however the agency confirmed last week that this method will no longer be accepted.
Instead, people are now required to submit objections directly through the ECU’s website or by post.
The move was explained by the Scottish Government as a way to simplify the process, however, communities in the south of Scotland have hit out at the decision, calling it “undemocratic” as an important method of participating in decision making processes has been “suddenly withdrawn”.
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Campaign groups in the Borders told The Scotsman that local authorities were only given 24-hour notice of the decision that came into force on January 16.
Rory Steel, chair of Lauderdale Preservation Group told The Scotsman: “The primary route used by ordinary people to make their voice heard on windfarms has been suddenly withdrawn, without any public explanation,” he said.
“This is totally undemocratic and directly affects the ability of people to participate in decisions that reshape the landscape and make a huge difference to their local area.
“People in the Scottish Borders recognise the importance of renewable energy, but we are being blanketed in giant turbines that are visible for miles around, not to mention solar farms, battery storage sites and pylons.
“The ECU is rubber-stamping almost every windfarm application, even where the local authority has objected. Now we can’t even make a comment on it – this is a scandal.”
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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.
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