We all thought that work on the site would start soon once SSE had met the conditions attached to the consent. SBC has been dealing with the conditions.
Condition 15 prevented SSE from starting work on the site until works required to the B711 and minor works to adjoining land had been carried out. The work done in the spring on the B711 and land next to it did not seem to have been finished. Everyone therefore assumed that Condition 15 had not yet been met and that work on the site hadn’t started. SSE needed to start work or their five year permission dated 27th August 2008 would have lapsed. SBC have decided that this condition had been met and as a result SSE has done some work somewhere on the site.
Last month SSE made a new planning application for Langhope Rig. There was no requirement for SBC to tell the community council about it so nobody knew what was going on. SSE realised that they couldn’t get the turbines onto the site using the current access into the forestry as they had thought and this application is to move the access point to the site about 200 yards nearer to Roberton.
If this application had been made before the work started it would have been approved without argument but SSE want permission to do the sort of work in the future that Condition 15 said must be carried out before work started. People have objected arguing SBC cannot grant this application because in simple terms it is too late to do this work.
We shall have to wait and see what SBC decide but if they decide that they must refuse the applications SSE has a huge problem. It is a very small and unexpected glimmer of hope which arises because of SSE’s incompetence.
Stephen Lucking