Everyone in the Oxton & Channelkirk Community Council area needs to attend this meeting about whether the community council will support the Unified Statement of the Community Council Convention that originated in the Highlands.
Oxton War Memorial Hall, 7.30 pm Friday 29th May 2026
The meeting is arranged and hosted by Oxton & Channelkirk Community Council. If you value nature and your rural environment, get along and have your voice heard.
With a major new substation proposed at Lauder, wind, solar, BESS and data centre speculators are cold calling landowners across Lauderdale. (relatively) Cheap land + ‘green’ subsidies + a short grid connection = easy money for financiers.
Map of the Community Council area
AGENDA
● The only agenda item is whether people within OCCC area support the Scotland-wide Community Council Convention and its Unified Statement.
That our Community Councils:
- RECOGNISE the impact of Climate Change on our planet but OPPOSES an unjust an unnecessary industrialisation of Rural Scotland.
- CALLS for our elected members to URGENTLY support and protect our communities at NATIONAL level, given that community consultation is inadequate and LOCAL DEMOCRACY is being overridden, with decisions made by Community Councils and Local Authorities consistently disregarded by the Scottish Government.
- CALLS upon the Scottish Government to undertake a PLANNING INQUIRY COMMISSION to address the whole cumulative impact of all major renewable infrastructure developments, including transmission, storage and generation with all ancillary infrastructure on our communities and landscape, rather than the salami sliced approach which has thus far been taken.
- CALLS for a PAUSE of all major applications, given the impact upon our communities, which may hasten depopulation in some areas until a clear NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY is in place and an ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT undertaken given that tourism is a major part of our rural economy.
Within Scottish Borders the following Community Councils have signed up to the Unified Statement:
Lauderdale CC
Gordon & Westruther CC
Heriot CC
Leithholm Eccles & Birgham CC
Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk & Birgham CC
Walkerburn & District CC
Leadhills CC
Southdean CC
Tweedsmuir CC
Newcastleon & District CC
Upper Liddlesdale & Hermitage CC
Oxnam Water CC
West Barns CC
Map of proposals immediately around Lauderdale that we know of. There are more further afield. \/
