Developer Gilston Hill Wind Farm Ltd had planned to install seven turbines on land north-west of Gilston Farm, near Heriot in the Scottish Borders.
The proposal included almost four kilometres of permanent access tracks, a substation compound, a temporary construction compound, up to two borrow pits andassociated temporary tracks.
Scottish Borders Council refused a similar proposal in 2012. Its decision was subsequently upheld by an appeal reporter on the grounds that "the proposal would give rise to an unacceptable number of significant adverse landscape and visual amenity impacts, including cumulative impacts".
Now the council has refused the plans for a second time. A planning report said that the council "recognises that there is strong support in Scottish Planning Policy and in the statutory development plan for the development of renewable energy".
However, planners did not consider that this support outweighs "unacceptable significant adverse impacts and effects that would arise as a consequence of this specific proposal, particularly with respect to the landscape and visual impacts and its impacts upon the movement, management and monitoring of air traffic".
Recommending refusal, planners also said that the applicant had not "demonstrated that there would not also be unacceptable significant adverse impacts and effects upon badgers and upon a private water supply".
