Teviotdale's future - wind or wood?

SPECIAL FEATURE by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

Many of those fortunate enough to live in Teviotdale, that beautiful, largely unspoilt valley south of Hawick, are surprised it has taken this long. But now that it has materialised a significant number of them seem prepared to welcome or at least tolerate the possible arrival of the locality's first wind turbines.

Plans for the so-called Teviot Wind Farm on agricultural land 'east of Priesthaugh' have been known about for a couple of years. But now it is official - a formal planning application lodged along with promises of handsome financial rewards for the local community.

The massive electricity producing facility with 62 turbines being promoted by Muirhall Energy may well offer an alternative to blanket forestry, seen by some as a creeping death knell for traditional farming in Teviotdale. But no doubt others will campaign to block the wind farm at all costs, citing its likely devastating visual impact among the rolling hills..

Certainly the developers are holding out the prospect of unprecedented 'riches' which would in all probability help strengthen the fragile economy of the valley.

The planning application is accompanied by a glossy report from consultants Biggar Economics which states: "The Proposed Development is situated approximately 8 km to the south-west of Hawick in the Scottish Borders and it is anticipated that it will comprise up to 62 turbines with a generating capacity of around 409 MW. 

"In addition, it will also include a solar array of up to 34 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) array and 100 MW of battery storage. Muirhall Energy has made a guaranteed tender commitment to local businesses and proposes an initial investment fund of £500,000 for the local community."

No doubt opponents will dismiss this as a bribe of some sort. But it is clear a remote rural area like Teviotdale can ill afford to pass up money of this magnitude. And there will be much more to follow, according to Biggar Economics.

"Employment in the region is largely concentrated in lower wage sectors, such as retail, resulting in workers out-commuting for higher paid work. Fuel poverty is higher in the Scottish Borders than average and deprivation levels are significantly higher in Teviot and Liddesdale. These conditions indicate a lack of high value jobs in the region, difficulty attracting and retaining younger people into the area and longer-term problems that require long term solutions, such as those proposed as part of the Proposed Development. 

"Total development and construction costs for the Proposed Development were estimated at £488 million, of which Teviot and Liddesdale could secure contracts worth £10.4 million and the Scottish Borders, £48.7 million. Accounting for direct, indirect and induced economic impacts, during its development and construction phase the Proposed Development could generate up to: £5.3 million Gross Value Added (GVA, a measure of economic output) and 75 job years in Teviot and Liddesdale; £29.7 million GVA and 424 job years in the Scottish Borders; £43.8 million GVA and 607 job years in the South of Scotland.

"Annual expenditure on the operations and maintenance of the Proposed Development is estimated to be up to £10.3 million for each year of its lifespan. The total annual economic impact of this could be:  £1.4 million GVA and 19 jobs in Teviot and Liddesdale; £2.4 million GVA and 34 jobs in the Scottish Borders; £2.8 million GVA and 41 jobs in the South of Scotland. In addition to the economic impact generated throughout the construction and operation of the Proposed Development, an industry-leading community investment package of £7,000 per MW would provide £2.86 million per year for the local community."

When Not Just Sheep & Rugby canvassed opinion on the ground in Teviotdale one respondent told us: "Speaking to people many prefer turbines to the spectre of blanket forestry which is spreading throughout the valley. Forestry gives nothing back to the community either financially or jobwise. And once the trees are cut there is a blight on our landscape for ever.

"Even where there are wind turbines people can still farm livestock. There is a real danger that if the windfarm is rejected by the planners then this area will all be virtually covered in conifers. I would say young people in the valley are more in favour of wind farms. They're seen as a better option than forestry."

And there was a realistic assessment of the money on offer from Muirhall from a contributor who told us: " Personally we believe if we work with the wind farm people we may have some influence on position, number and height of the turbines, and also what as a community we can gain. 

"It is a surprise that it has taken so long for this issue to reach us. We need to look at the bigger picture and hopefully capitalise on this project for the valley Hawick and Borders."

There was a realisation too that the proposal for 62 turbines was bound to provoke conflicting opinions: "As with many topics this is potentially divisive and as a community we are conscious we have to ensure it doesn't cause splits or fall outs between those for and those against. There is a great community spirit here and it would be a shame if it was damaged or if neighbours and friends fell out. So far that hasn't happened."

If an increase in forestry planting is to play a leading role in bolstering Teviotdale's economic wellbeing there are certain to be difficulties along the way.

Twelve months ago the Southern Uplands Partnership [SUP] warned in a position statement on forestry: "Large scale coniferous forestry planting backed by financial incentives in the shape of public grants is altering the landscape in many areas of the South of Scotland without proper consideration for the impacts on local communities"

SUP claimed this was being driven by a combination of public grant, economics and assumed environmental benefits.

Their statement added: "We believe this change is not being as carefully considered as it should be. We risk losing a range of habitats, species and opportunities for a more diverse pattern of land use that might improve community and environmental resilience.

"In the South of Scotland, we are concerned that the mixing of the terms forest and woodland is misleading because of the huge extent of planation forest and the much more limited extent of more diverse woodland."

The South of Scotland already has a lot of tree cover. In 2014 Dumfries & Galloway already had 31% tree cover and the Scottish Borders had 18.5%. The average for South Scotland is now thought to be 25% (2019 figure) compared to the average across Scotland of approximately 18% of the land classed as forest and woodland”.

According to SUP: "There is a real concern that South Scotland is taking more than its’ share of new tree-cover. In addition, disproportionately more of the planting is coniferous forest and much less of the planting is woodland compared to other parts of Scotland. 

"This is evident from the recent statistics for 2020/21 and continuing a long term trend in South Scotland. There are also concerns that the drive to meet planting targets is pushing forestry onto sites which are not suitable eg peatlands (where the climate benefits are questionable) and species-rich habitats (where there is likely to be a net-loss of biodiversity)."

So, will Teviotdale opt for wind or wood, or perhaps a blend of both?