Council advised to oppose 'incongruous' Tweed Valley turbines

A council has been advised to oppose a wind farm as an "incongruous form of development" on the skyline of the Tweed Valley.

Fred Olsen Renewables wants to build eight turbines at Scawd Law near Walkerburn in the Borders.

However, Scottish Borders Council (SBC) is being advised to object to the project due to its visual impact and its failure to properly demonstrate it would not adversely affect golden eagles.

The company has said it believes its plans are appropriate for the area. The final decision will lie with the Scottish government.

The plans will be considered by the council when it meets on 2 March.

It is being advised by its officers to object to the scheme due to a range of concerns.

One of them is that the visual impact for places like the popular Southern Upland Way walking route would not be outweighed by any contribution towards renewable energy generation.

Another concern is that there is "insufficient information" to show it would not "adversely affect golden eagles or their territories".

That echoes the opposition of Restoring Upland Nature (RUN), the new home of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

The company has said its plans would bring a community benefit fund of £8m and "present many opportunities for the local community".

It added that it took ornithological assessments seriously and did not agree with the level of risk to eagles being predicted by RUN.

It said it remained committed to open and constructive dialogue with stakeholders.