Welcome to our website for the Leithenwater Wind Energy Hub
At Belltown Power we are committed to working with local communities and stakeholders to responsibly develop renewable energy projects that help to deliver our Scottish climate change targets and ensure a green and sustainable future for generations to come.
The Climate Crisis
We are facing an unprecedented global climate crisis caused by the use of fossil fuels to power our societies. In the past 50 years weather induced disasters have increased 5-fold. [1]
Necessary Actions
CO2 ppm have risen by 28% in the past 50 years.[2] We need to urgently cut greenhouse gas emissions to prevent irreversible temperature rises and nature loss. As electrification of transport and heating continues our demand for electricity will rise. It is vital we meet this increase, and existing demand, from renewable sources.
Project Contribution
Leithenwater Wind Energy Hub has the potential to make a sizeable contribution to the decarbonisation of our electricity system and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Stats: The project could produce enough energy to power 63,449 homes annually [3].
This project is an opportunity for your community to contribute to tackling climate change in a significant way through hosting and part-owning a modern wind energy hub.
“We must go into emergency mode against the climate crisis. We need an avalanche of action.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"If we don't act now, it'll be too late. Every day that goes by in which we don't do something about it is a day wasted."
Sir David Attenborough
- WMO, Weather-related disasters
- Statista, Historic average carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, Ian Tiseo
- RenewableUK, Statistics explained
Project Proposal
The site is located approximately 4.5km northeast of Peebles on a ridge encompassing Dunslair Heights and currently comprises commercial forestry, open moorland and sheep farming within the Leithenwater valley area. The project will consist of up to 13 turbines with maximum tip heights of 200m. We will work together with the local community and the landowners – Rosebery Estates – to deliver a project that maximises local benefits and clean energy, whilst sympathetically protecting and enhancing the natural environment.
Virtual exhibition
Our virtual exhibition is available to view here. It will open up in a new window. You can find out more about the latest proposal, register for updates and leave feedback for the team.
What’s next...
We welcome all feedback so we can take your views on board as we continue to develop our proposal. There will be a further consultation event later this year where we will present our developed plans ahead of submitting our proposal to Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit.
- Figure 1.1 Location Plan (11.18 MB)
- Figure 3.1 Proposed Development (2.74 MB)
- Figure 5.1 Blade Tip Height (200m) Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) and Scoping Viewpoints (634.20 KB)
- Figure 5.2 Designated and Protected Landscapes (619.90 KB)
- Figure 5.3 Other Wind Farm Developments within 25km (5.35 MB)
- Figure 6.1 Hydrology and Peat (441.68 KB)
- Figure 7.1 Statutory and Non-statutory Ecologically Designated Sites within 10km of the Site (580.95 KB)
- Figure 9.1 Cultural Heritage (423.48 KB)
- Figure 12.1 VFR 250k Chart Extract (493.32 KB)
- Figure 12.2 VFR 500k Chart Extract (757.20 KB)
- Leithenwater Wind Energy Hub Scoping Report (702.27 KB)
Timeline
18/19 April 23
First Consultation Events
May - Sep 23
Preparation of Planning Submission
Sep - Oct 23
Second Consultation Events
Dec 23
Target Planning Submission
Q2 25
Expected Planning Determination
Q1 26
Start Construction Target
Q1 28
Target Commercial Operation Date
Community – groundbreaking ownership offering
Community Ownership
At Belltown Power we fundamentally believe that renewable energy projects should benefit the communities that host them. Communities local to the Leithenwater Wind Energy Hub will benefit through our groundbreaking community ownership scheme.
We want to go beyond simply offering the opportunity for local investment into our projects and actually take demonstrable steps to enable the uptake of community ownership in a way that benefits everyone.
Belltown’s Community Ownership scheme includes:
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Giving local community organisations 1% of the equity in the project for free.
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Enabling them to buy a further 4% of the equity at cost once the project is operational and potentially more at market value, if desired.
Community Benefit
In addition to this attractive ownership offering, we are committed to providing £5,000/MW (index linked) Community Benefit for the lifetime of the project. Depending on a communities need we can enable communities to front load some or all of this.
These funds will be made available for communities to invest in initiatives most needed by the community. We want to hear your views on how Leithenwater Wind Energy Hub can best support your community.
Case Study
Near to our Tirgwynt site in Powys, Wales the Carno Primary School faced closure due to the condition of temporary buildings they were using. Due to our flexible community benefit offering we were able to substitute some of the annual payments with a larger, upfront payment which enabled the construction of a new school building allowing the local school to continue to serve the community for future generations.
Education - inspiring the next generation
We believe passionately about education and have been running the Belltown Education Programme since 2015 with the aim of inspiring the next generation of engineers, scientists and climate emergency tacklers.
Local Environment
Everyone at Belltown Power is involved in the renewable energy industry through a desire to tackle the climate crisis and nature emergency. In addition to powering over 63,449 homes annually and displacing over 4.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the life time of the project* we will implement a comprehensive and tailored Ecological Management Plan in order to ensure that the Leithenwater Wind Energy Hub delivers a net ecological benefit through careful habitat design, creation and management.
* Figures based on a wind energy hub comprising of 13 turbines at 6.6MW for 40 years and recognised assumptions stated here.
Get involved
At Belltown Power, we recognise a fundamental part of good project development is early consultation to ensure local communities and stakeholders are given the opportunity to provide feedback and are kept informed of a project’s progress.
As part of this consultation process, we are excited to share the latest project information for the Leithenwater Wind Energy Hub. This first consultation period will run from 4 April to 3 May (the Virtual Exhibition willl remain online) and we look forward to engaging with any questions and feedback you may have about the project.
Do please ask any questions, provide feedback via our feedback form or request a call back using the form beloe or simply email the team at leithenwater@belltownpower.com
Public Exhibitions
We would like to invite you to join us in-person to meet the team and ask any questions
• 18 April, Eddleston Village Hall, 9am-12noon
• 18 April, Innerleithen Memorial Hall, 2-7.30pm
• 19 April, Peebles RFC 19 Eastgate, 9am-7pm
Come join us at one of these events and see how your community can contribute to tackling climate change in a significant way through hosting and part-owning a modern wind energy hub.
Get in touch
You can also get in touch directly via the below form. Feel free to leave a question or comment, register for project updates or as a local supplier, or request a call back from one of our team.
Opportunities for Local businesses and Suppliers
Belltown Power is committed to providing material benefit to the communities that host them. To ensure this happens we will use local supply chain where they meet the project’s HSEQ requirements and where they are within 10% of the best quote tendered.
There are a wide range of services and suppliers required to build and operate a wind farm including but not limited to:
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Construction, drainage and fencing contractors,
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materials suppliers and building merchants,
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plant hire and security,
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fuel providers and waste management, and
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local hospitality providers and car hire.
To understand the full range of opportunities available please register on our supplier database and we will get in touch.
Meet the Buyer
In future, we will be holding “Meet the Buyer” events where you can meet the project team, we can learn more about your business and we can discuss opportunities to work together.
If you believe you can supply our development or simply want to understand more we would love to hear from you. All you need to do is register above or email us and one of our team will be in contact to collect further details and answer any questions.
Feedback
News
VIEWS SOUGHT ON LEITHENWATER WIND FARM PLANS
Local residents are being invited to view plans for a new Wind Energy Hub to the northeast of Peebles. The plans from Belltown Power will be on display for two days in mid April and the company are keen to get local feedback. The Belltown team will be on hand at the public exhibitions to answer any questions local residents may have and to gather views on the proposal. The exhibition will include detailed information about the project including visualisations from several viewpoints.
Commenting on the consultation, Peter Thomas, Senior Development Manager at Belltown Power said, “This is our first consultation event and we are keen to hear what local residents think of our plans for the Leithenwater development. We are trying to reach out to as many residents as we can to get their views. We’re holding in-person exhibitions in Eddleston, Innerleithen and Peebles as well as a virtual exhibition on our website and we have posted out an invitation and feedback form to households across the area.”
The site currently comprises commercial forestry, open moorland and sheep farming within the Leithenwater valley area. The project will consist of up to 13 turbines with maximum tip heights of 200m. We will work together with the local community and the landowners – Rosebery Estates – to deliver a project that maximises local benefits and clean energy, whilst sympathetically protecting and enhancing the natural environment.
A scoping report was submitted to the Scottish Government in September 2022.
Commenting further, Peter Thomas, said, “We are fully committed to a full community benefit package that includes £5K per MW installed per year for the 40-year lifetime of the project. We’ve also developed a ground-breaking community ownership package that enables local communities to take an ownership stake so that they’re really invested in the project and so it brings tangible benefits to the heart of the community.”
The online virtual exhibition will run on the website from 4 April to 3 May 2023 showing all the exhibition materials and allowing residents to leave feedback.
Public Exhibitions
We would like to invite you to join us in-person to meet the team and ask any questions
• 18 April, Eddleston Village Hall, 9am-12noon
• 18 April, Innerleithen Memorial Hall, 2-7.30pm
• 19 April, Peebles RFC 19 Eastgate, 9am-7pm
Come join us at one of these events and see how your community can contribute to tackling climate change in a significant way through hosting and part-owning a modern wind energy hub.
