Wind Turbines update - Blog

Wind Turbines update
Chisholme Blog | Wednesday, 21st January, 2026

The developer, INVENERGY, omitted to provide a Heritage Impact Assessment with regard to the effect of their proposal on Chisholme, its landscape and vistas.
An assessment has now been commissioned and is being submitted to Scottish Borders Council and to the Scottish Government.

Here below is the Report Summary:
You can download the full report by Daniel Ratcliffe MA MCIfA, here:
Heritage Impact Assessment

You can also read and download the objection by the Borthwickwater Landscape Conservation Group

If you have sent, or are planning to send an objection to the wind turbine proposal – by 31 January – please let us know at secretary@chisholme.org
Simply give your name, or you are welcome to share what you have submitted.

SUMMARY

1 Purpose and Scope
This Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) evaluates the potential effects of a proposed 13-turbine wind farm (200m tip height) on the setting and significance of Chisholme House (LB15093) and its associated Designed Landscape. The assessment is based on site inspection (December 2025) and 'Type 3' scaled visualisations from primary designed vistas.

2 Statement of Significance
Chisholme House is a refined mid-to-late 18th-century Georgian mansion. Its significance is derived from: Historical/Social Value: It is a rare physical manifestation of the "Nabob" phenomenon, funded by the colonial profits of William Chisholme’s Jamaican sugar plantations. It provides a tangible link to the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and illustrates the 18th-century transition from colonial wealth to landed Scottish gentry. Designed Landscape: The 1795 "Picturesque" parkland is of high quality and remarkably intact. Its character is defined by seclusion and enclosure, created through boundary plantations designed to focus the experience inward upon a series of contrived vistas. Contemporary Value: The site’s current use for contemplative retreat relies upon the preservation of its quietude and isolation from industrial infrastructure.

3 Impact Assessment
The assessment identifies a moderate to high adverse impact on the setting of the Listed Building: The Principal Vista: Turbines 12 and 13 directly intrude into the primary SE designed vista from the house. They break the skyline, introduce industrial-scale movement (blade sweep), and require red aviation lighting, fundamentally undermining the integrity of the 'internalised' naturalistic character of the parkland. Policy Conflict: The proposal as submitted is in conflict with NPF4 Policy 7(c) (Listed Buildings) and Policy 7(i) (Designed Landscapes). It disrupts the setting and the "diverse story" of Scotland's past as protected under Policy 7(a).

4 The Weighted Balance and Recommendation
While acknowledging the "significant weight" given to the Climate Emergency under NPF4 Policy 1, this assessment argues that the identified heritage harm is not an inevitable consequence of the project’s delivery.
Mitigation by Deletion: The harm is localized to specific turbines. The omission of Turbines 12 and 13 would reduce the impact on Chisholme to a negligible level while allowing over 85% of the project’s generating capacity to proceed.
Conclusion: In line with the statutory duties of Schedule 9 of the Electricity Act 1989, the Scottish Ministers are urged to adopt a Partial Consent approach. The preservation of this regionally significant "Nabob" landscape represents a compelling public interest that outweighs the marginal energy contribution of these specific turbines.

Here is a projection of how all 13 turbines will appear from the Monument.
This projection was provided by Invenergy, the developers.

View and download the full Heritage Impact Assessment