A consultative draft of the Development Framework for the Hagshaw Energy Cluster is now available.

LUC is managing the preparation of the framework and has overseen the stakeholder engagement process to date.

We have worked collaboratively with NatureScot, East Ayrshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Architecture and Design Scotland (A&DS), 3R Energy Solutions Ltd, ScottishPower, BayWa r.e. Global, Octopus Energy and Ventient Energy over the past two years to develop the concept.

The Hagshaw Energy Cluster is located near the communities of Coalburn, Douglas and Muirkirk in South Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire. It is an established strategic location for large scale renewable energy projects, with a committed capacity of almost 585 MW.

The framework will help shape the future of the cluster as wind farms are repowered, extended or optimised over time. It will help realise the potential 1GW+ of renewable energy generation, deployed through different technologies.

It is also pioneering a new approach to planning for wind energy, which prioritises the Just Transition to Net Zero. This includes significantly investing in the local environment, communities and place.

Close collaboration with developers, agencies, communities and planning authorities helped to identify priorities for community investment. These investments will provide around £2.7m of community benefit funding each year.

East Ayrshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council are undertaking formal consultation until Friday 9 December, and expect adoption by the end of 2022.

You can read the draft document and respond to the consultation via the project webpage.

Image credit: © Richard Carman & LUC

Learn more about our Landscape Planning & Assessment services.