Heriot wind farm development appeal rejected

The Scottish government has rejected the appeal against the council's decision

A bid to overturn a council's refusal of a wind farm in the Scottish Borders has failed.

A Scottish government reporter concluded the development near Heriot would have a "severely disruptive" effect on the landscape.

Energiekontor had appealed against Scottish Borders Council's rejection of its eight-turbine Wull Muir scheme.

However, a reporter said it "failed to respect" the character of the area and turned down the appeal.

Councillors rejected the proposals earlier this year amid concerns about their visual impact.

It prompted developers to take the case to the Scottish government in the hope of allowing the project to proceed.

Economic benefits

A site visit was carried out by a reporter in August and he has now delivered his findings.

He said he noted the potential economic benefits with the creation of more than 100 jobs - some of them in the Borders - during the construction phase.

He said he had also taken into account the development's potential contribution to renewable energy targets.

However, he concluded that these did not outweigh the adverse impact of the project.