Gilston Hill wind farm near Heriot approved on appeal

An appeal against a council's refusal of a wind farm in the Scottish Borders has been successful.

The local authority turned down seven turbines on land north west of Gilston Farm near Heriot due to landscape impact concerns.

Forsa Energy appealed against that decision and it has now been ruled the project can proceed.

A Scottish government reporter said the cumulative impact with the nearby Dun Law wind farm would be "acceptable".

"Any wind farm development, by virtue of the height of the turbines, is going to have a significant adverse impact when seen close up, unless the viewer sees them as structures of beauty to be admired," he said.

"The defining test in the policy therefore becomes whether or not these adverse impacts are unacceptable, can be satisfactorily mitigated or are outweighed by wider benefits."

He concluded that planning policy could not provide "any justification" for refusing the project.