Three industrial turbines. Up to 180 metres (591 ft). Nine times the Angel of the North. Taller than the Gherkin. Bolted onto the Lammermuir plateau above Grantshouse and Duns. We support the energy transition — but not when it is built on top of the people who live here.
Qair Group — a French renewable energy company headquartered in Paris, operating across more than 20 countries — is proposing three industrial wind turbines on farmland at Drakemyre, Grantshouse, in the eastern Scottish Borders. The application is submitted through Qair's UK vehicle, GSC Monashee Farm Ltd.
The turbines would stand up to 180 metres (591 ft) to blade tip — nine times the height of the Angel of the North, and as tall as the Gherkin in London. Together they would have an installed capacity of up to 20 Megawatts across a site covering roughly 155 hectares (≈383 acres).
The site sits between Grantshouse and Duns, east of the A6112 — on the eastern edge of the Lammermuir plateau, where the land falls away toward the Berwickshire Merse. Because of this exposed plateau-edge position, the turbines would be highly visible across the Merse — from Duns, Chirnside, Paxton and far beyond. This is an already-pressured landscape being pushed onto its most prominent skyline.
There are approximately 616 significant operational wind turbines across 23 major schemes in the Scottish Borders. These projects generate enough electricity to meet over 20% of Scotland's total energy requirements. Further developments — such as the approved 14-turbine Lammermuir Hills scheme — continue to increase this total. This community has already given enough. Monashee would push that further, permanently altering one of Scotland's most beautiful and unspoilt rural landscapes.
The planning application reference is 25/00473/FUL, submitted to Scottish Borders Council. The formal consultation period closed on 26 February 2026, but no decision has yet been made and late representations continue to be received and considered by the planning officer — 66 objections are now on record, with no committee date scheduled.
At 180 metres — the height of a 60-storey building — these are not small turbines. They are the largest class of onshore wind turbine currently being deployed in the UK. From many viewpoints across the area, they would dominate the horizon day and night (aviation lights are required by law at this height).
For residents within 2–3km, the impact is direct and personal. Noise guidelines in the UK require turbine noise to remain below 35–40dB at nearby dwellings — but low-frequency noise and amplitude modulation (the "whooshing" effect) are poorly controlled by these limits and are the subject of growing legal challenges.
In March 2026, an Irish court became the first in these islands to find that wind turbine noise constituted a nuisance to neighbours — a landmark ruling that the wind industry is now appealing. The legal landscape is shifting.
And critically — this is irreversible. Once built, these turbines will stand for 25–30 years, reshaping the landscape of your community for a generation.
"The proposed development would have significant, widespread landscape and visual impacts due to its location in the Lammermuir Hills. It would fill in the crucial gap between existing wind farms and severely affect the area's character."— Borders Wind Farm Watch, May 2025
Every quote below is taken verbatim from documents formally submitted to Scottish Borders Council under planning reference 25/00473/FUL. These are neighbours, business owners, professionals and statutory consultees speaking for themselves.
"We were approached by the Developers with a financial package that involves us not objecting to the Application. We refused."
"The Applicant's suggestion that residents can mitigate this impact by closing curtains or blinds is oppressive, unreasonable and dismissive. Residents should not be forced or expected to live in blackout conditions within their own homes to avoid intrusive industrial lighting."
"The site is located approximately 1.1 kilometres from an established licensed dog boarding kennel… a noise-sensitive commercial business that relies on maintaining a calm and low-stress environment for animal welfare and for compliance with licensing requirements."
"The market garden relies on a shallow private spring-fed water supply, which may be vulnerable to disturbance from construction works associated with turbine infrastructure and routine operation."
"The effect on the private water supplies is not clear, but there is a risk of disruption… We can see on a daily basis that there is considerable construction of wind turbines at sea. Why do we need to ruin our countryside when the power generated is a small fraction of the turbines at sea?"
"There is no democratic mandate for the continued industrialisation of the Scottish Borders in pursuit of renewable energy… It would be helpful if there could be a moratorium on further Monashee Windfarm applications."
"The proposed 180-metre turbines would occupy a highly sensitive ridgeline forming the transition between the Lammermuir Uplands and the Merse Lowlands… widely visible from lower-lying areas."
"Visitors to Edin's Hall Broch appreciate the sense of going back in time as they visit the ruins and earthworks. Having large wind turbines… dominating part of the view would inevitably detract from that experience."
"The revised development would still result in adverse impacts on the setting of [Marygold settlement (SM12572) and Marygold Plantation forts (SM375)]."
"Previous archaeological comments were made to the original scheme, which recommended an objection to the then proposed scheme."
"Developers claim the Iteration Process ensures the 'best possible scheme for the location'. IP means (at best) that the submitted scheme is less bad than earlier iterations — and 'Less Unacceptable' doesn't equate to 'Acceptable'."
All quotes are verbatim from documents on the SBC ePlanning portal · Ref 25/00473/FUL
The formal consultation period closed on 26 February 2026. However, no decision has yet been made, no committee date has been scheduled, and late representations continue to be received and considered by the planning officer. 66 objections are now on record. Your late representation can still carry weight — submit it as soon as possible.
The planning process only works when communities engage. Every single objection submitted to Scottish Borders Council counts — it builds the public record, influences the Committee's view, and may trigger a public inquiry if the Council decides to object.
→ Object Online Now ✉ Email Template ObjectionThe email above pre-fills a template objection — add your own personal reasons before sending.
More updates added regularly as the application progresses
Every representation to Scottish Borders Council matters — including late ones. The officer is still reading. The committee hasn't sat. The more voices on record, the harder this is to wave through. Do it now.