The Scottish government's energy consents unit (ECU) hasgranted permission, external for eight turbines up to 200m (656ft) tall at Ditcher Law near Oxton.

It overruled Scottish Borders Council, which formally objected to the plans citing the adverse impact on local people and the landscape.

The objection would normally have triggered a public inquiry but ministers ruled it was submitted too late.

The Ditcher Law application was submitted to the ECU, which handles applications for electricity stations over 500MW, on 15 September 2023.

But the developer did not submit important additional information, including an impact study, until 10 April last year and a deadline for comments on the new information was then set for 16 May - just five weeks later.

The council advised that it would be unable to review the new information for several months, due to a backlog of applications, but its call for an extension to the deadline was rejected.

ECU has now ruled that the concern raised by the council was made too late in the application process.

The area is designated as a Special Landscape Area, with peatland, woodland, meandering burns and moorland.

John Williams, who chairs Heriot Community Council, which also objected to the plans, criticised the decision.

"This decision is totally anti-democratic and rides roughshod over the views of local communities and the democratically elected councillors of Scottish Borders Council," he said.

"To give them only five weeks to review such a major scheme is totally unfair. The council has been inundated with applications and had already advised the ECU that its planning committee was fully booked for the next six months."

Rory Steel, who chairs Lauderdale Preservation Group, said the decision was "hugely disappointing".

"We have about 10 different proposals in a small burgh such as ours, it is mind-boggling, it is a huge industrialisation of the rural environment," he said.

"People might find it hard to picture what it will actually look like, but when the trucks come rolling in then people will soon see."

The decision states that Scottish ministers received about 66 representations regarding the development, including three responses in support of the application and 63 against.

Scottish Borders Council voted to oppose the development on 8 September 2025, reflecting the decision of its planning committee.

But the Scottish government's ECU indicated the objection would be treated as out-of-time and would therefore not automatically trigger a public local inquiry.

The decision letter states: "Although the Scottish ministers acknowledge that some significant but largely localised and contained landscape, visual, and residential visual amenity effects will arise, they consider that these impacts are outweighed by the overall benefits of the proposed development."

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "The decision of the Scottish ministers is published in full on the energy consents unit website.

"All reasons for the decision are contained within the decision letter, and it would not be appropriate to add to its terms."

Story from local democracy reporter Paul Kelly.