EIA scoping opinions

EIA scoping opinions can be requested of the planning authority by developers under Regulation 17 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017. The purpose of such a request is to seek the planning authority’s opinion as to identifying the issues that should form the focus of the EIA Report’s assessment. This opinion should help to provide the EIA Report with a sharper focus upon those matters deemed likely to generate significant environmental effects upon prescribed environmental factors, in line with Regulation 4(2) - (3). Compilation of a scoping opinion involves the planning authority consulting with a range of statutory (and non-statutory, as appropriate) consultation bodies in order to ensure that the scoping opinion is fully informed by the respective remits of same.

In accordance with Regulation 28, the planning authority makes available for inspection Scoping Requests received and Scoping Opinions issued, for a period of two years, below:

Site reference	Proposed development	Date of issue
Knockodhar Wind Farm Scoping Opinion Scoping Response	Construction of 32 wind turbines (Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989)	10/02/2021
Howmoor Windfarm, Knoweside Hill, Near Maybole Scoping Opinion	Construction of up to six wind turbines	December 2020
Chirmorie Wind Farm (Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989) Scoping Opinion	Proposed variation to further vary the existing consent	November 2020
Craiginmoddie Wind Farm (Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989) Scoping Opinion	Proposed erection of 16 wind turbines	November 2020
Darnaconnar, by Barrhill Scoping Opinion	two wind turbines	24/12/2019
Bennane Shore, north of Ballantrae Scoping Opinion	Change of uses of agricultural land to form caravan site	30/04/2019
The Curragh, Grangestone Industrial Estate, Girvan Scoping Opinion Scoping Request	Proposed extension to an existing spirit maturation warehousing complex	13/02/2019
Barbae Quarry, near Girvan Scoping Opinion Scoping Request	Proposed extension to an existing permission for mineral extraction	13/09/2018
Tarbolton Moss, Near Tarbolton	Proposed energy from waste facility	20/12/2017
Tarbolton Moss Landfill Site	Extension to Landfill Site	18/12/2017
Land at Tarbolton Road, Monkton	Proposed erection of residential development	9/11/2017
Corton	Proposed mixed use development	08/09/2017
Hillhouse and Hallyards	Consolidation of two existing quarry operations	23/09/2016

Section 36 applications

Under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 any proposal to construct or operate a power generation scheme with a capacity in excess of 50 megawatts requires Scottish Ministers’ consent. Under such circumstances the entire application process, including requests for and issue of any scoping opinions, is administered on the Scottish Ministers’ behalf by the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) of the Scottish Government. To view any of the scoping opinions issued by Scottish Ministers please refer to the ECU’s website: www.energyconsents.scot/.