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Search the Public Notice PortalCounty residents might be forgiven for believing the proposal to construct 15 turbines on top of Newlands Hill, due south of Gifford, had gone away.
Nothing is further from the truth.
There will be a Scottish Government community hearing in Gifford Village Hall on Monday, October 12, 7-9pm, which anyone can attend.
I would urge people to come and hear first hand the full impact the construction of the wind farm would have on our iconic, pencil-sharp Lammermuir skyline and the reality of a 19km-long access route which would carve its way through currently unspoilt, quiet countryside, much of it prime agricultural land, from East Linton, past Traprain Law and south-east towards Carfrae and Danskine before climbing to sensitive heather moorland at the proposed windfarm area.
Speakers at the hearing have been selected from within the county and will express their views.
You only need speak to the residents of Innerwick to get a gist of how construction traffic servicing wind farms in the east Lammermuirs has changed the quality of their lives and the rural environment forever.
There are already more than 300 turbines in the Lammermuirs, the majority of which are sited back into the hills to lessen their visibility from throughout the county. Do we need any more?
East Lothian is already playing a substantial role
in helping the Scottish Government achieve its vision as set out in the Climate Change Act 2009, as updated in 2024. The fact East Lothian Council has unanimously voted to reject the application is surely indicative of the strength of local opinion.
The proposed Newlands Hill wind farm defies any planning logic, with turbines straddling the ridgeline, the majority at 200 metres tall, which almost equates to the height of the Queensferry Crossing!
I, along with many others, support renewable, ‘clean’ energy initiatives as a means towards phasing out our reliance on fossil fuels.
But schemes must be in the right place, which Newlands Hill is not, and linked within a coherent government energy policy.
We must hope the Reporter present at the hearing conveys what I believe to be the majority voice of the county to government and that they decide in our favour.
Hugo Straker
Garvald Grange
Haddington
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