Scottish News

Smart Scotland: The Digital Web Government is Building Around You

Scotland already operates searchable CCTV, national vehicle-tracking records, identity-matching systems and environmental sensors inside council homes. Private technology companies provide much of the infrastructure, while a new government strategy calls for greater integration of public information. The question is how far these systems can

33332050 concept of face recognition software and hardware

Policy and Government

Police Scotland Reconsiders Facial Recognition Six Years After Holyrood Committee Found It Unfit for Use

Newly published government minutes confirm that Scotland’s Chief Constable is actively considering live facial recognition, including its possible use against football disorder. The technology could allow police to identify individuals automatically through cameras in public places, but would also involve scanning people suspected of

Scotland’s Great Government Redesign Has a Blind Spot: The Microsoft Bill

The primary purpose of enterprise software like Microsoft 365, Teams, and Power Automate is to streamline

9600390 dounreay nuclear power plant scotland (1)

Scotland Helped Pioneer Nuclear Power. So Why Does it Oppose New Reactors?

Scotland helped establish Britain’s nuclear industry, building experimental reactors, electricity-generating stations and an engineering workforce that

Scotland Is Spending Hundreds of Millions on Culture While its Endangered Crafts Are Fighting Over £43,000

Scotland is increasing public spending on culture, with hundreds of millions of pounds allocated to national

Transport

Transport Scotland Has Promised to Reverse Biodiversity Loss While Building Some of Scotland’s Largest Road Schemes

Transport Scotland’s new Biodiversity Strategy commits the national transport agency to reducing ecosystem loss, increasing habitat connectivity and helping Scotland become nature-positive

by John Campbell

8 October 2026

78050148 offshore oil rig drilling platforms off the coastline near invergordon in scotland

Environment

Scotland’s Climate Plan Did Not Account for the Fossil-Fuel Emissions of Its New Data-Centre Boom

EDITORIAL UPDATE: A planning application has now been submitted for a proposed £16.5 billion hyperscale data centre at the former Chapelcross nuclear

by James Stewart

8 October 2026

Economy·Featured

South of Scotland Has a £31.8 Billion Investment Pipeline, Much of it Still Conditional

The Scottish Government and South of Scotland Enterprise have unveiled a £31.8 billion pipeline of 202 potential investments across Dumfries and Galloway

by James Stewart

8 October 2026

82317478 resign from job or fired employee moving out

Economy

Scotland Planned to Shrink the Public Workforce – Instead It Grew, Leaving Deeper Reductions Ahead

The Scottish Government entered 2025–26 with a target to reduce Scotland’s devolved public-sector workforce by an average of 0.5 per cent a

by John Campbell

8 October 2026

76771046 portrait of tired woman sleeping on bus

Highland·Transport

When the Commercial Bus Stops, the Council Inherits the Problem

Stagecoach will withdraw the X99 between Caithness and Inverness after 18 October, ending a direct link used by passengers travelling to Raigmore

by Andrew Robertson

8 October 2026

Energy·Featured

Rules Stop Scottish Communities From Selling the Energy They Generate Locally

Scotland is putting more public money into community-owned wind, solar and hydro, with £15 million now available annually through the Community and

by James Stewart

8 October 2026

100038676 computers in data center supporting ai training workflows

Policy and Government

EU Regulators Examine Oracle Licensing as Scotland Builds More of Government Around the US Technology Giant

The European Commission is gathering information about Oracle’s software-licensing practices as European competition regulators consider whether there is evidence warranting a formal

by David McDonald

8 October 2026

Infrastructure

The Global Investment Funds Behind Scotland’s Ports and Airports

Scotland’s largest commercial airports and some of its most important ports are controlled through international pension funds, infrastructure managers and private-capital groups.

by Andrew Robertson

7 October 2026

Energy

Scottish Data Centres Are Seeking 9.7GW of Grid Capacity While Ofgem Moves to Create a Demand Register

Scotland’s electricity connection queue contains close to 30 data-centre projects seeking about 9.7GW of capacity, according to the National Energy System Operator.

by John Campbell

7 October 2026

64409142 fast charging socket type 2 combo electric car type 2 ccs plug port on electric vehicle dc ccs type 2 ev charging connector at ev car eco friendly alternative energy green

Featured·Transport

Scotland’s Public EV Chargers Are Leaving ChargePlace Scotland and Eight Councils Prepare a 20-Year Private Concession

Hundreds of publicly owned electric-vehicle chargers across southern and central Scotland are preparing to leave ChargePlace Scotland and come under the operation

by Andrew Robertson

7 October 2026

90780906 virtual hybrid meeting in office

Policy and Government

Scottish Government Moves From Hybrid Target to Mandatory Attendance with Staff Reporting Oracle Check-Ins

Scottish Government civil servants are being moved from a hybrid-working system in which office attendance was explicitly described as a target rather

by David McDonald

7 October 2026

57378978 just harvested potato in basket

Heritage and Arts

Why Scotland Still Has the Tattie Holidays Long After Children Left the Potato Fields

Scotland’s October school break survives in a calendar that has largely forgotten the work which helped shape it. For generations, tens of

by David McDonald

7 October 2026

Energy·Featured

Ministers Say They Cannot Require Compensation for Fishers Displaced by Energy Projects

The Scottish Government has confirmed that ministers do not currently have powers to require compensation payments in relation to energy infrastructure, leaving

by James Stewart

7 October 2026

16682622 lawyer and judge speaking next to the criminal in handcuffs

Policy and Government

Sexual-Crime Cases Reaching Scotland’s High Court Take a Median 2 Years 11 Months

Scotland has brought the overall criminal-court backlog below its pre-pandemic operating level, but cases involving the most serious offending are moving in

by John Campbell

6 October 2026

91279544 a nuclear fusion reactor in progress producing energy

Energy·Featured

Conservatives Plan to Override Holyrood on Nuclear Power, Targeting Powers Scotland Has Held Since 1999

Andrew Bowie says a future Conservative government would legislate so that new nuclear power “can and will” be built in Scotland despite

by David McDonald

6 October 2026

Economy·Featured

Scotland’s 2027–28 Budget Faces a £772 Million Reconciliation

A £772.4 million downward adjustment is now built into the provisional arithmetic for Scotland’s 2027–28 Budget. Most of it arises from Scottish

by Andrew Robertson

6 October 2026

81975258 mold near the windows fungus on the walls of the house metal plastic windows are not properly installed

Policy and Government

Scotland’s New Damp and Mould Law Began on 6 October

From 6 October 2026, social and private landlords across much of Scotland’s rented housing sector must investigate reports of damp and mould

by John Campbell

5 October 2026

Environment·Featured

Bluetongue Zone Goes Nationwide in Scotland as H5N5 Returns to Lewis

Modern Scot reported in August that Scotland’s first bluetongue cluster was confined to four holdings near Newton Stewart. There are now 41

by James Stewart

5 October 2026

Featured·Policy and Government

NHS Scotland Orders New Disclosure System for Staff Interests

A new national system requiring NHS Scotland staff to declare outside employment, business interests, private clinical work, research relationships, sponsorship, gifts, hospitality

by Andrew Robertson

5 October 2026

Savannah in 1734, shortly before Scottish settlers including Patrick Tailfer emerged as leaders of the Malcontents, the colonial faction campaigning for changes to Georgia’s land

Heritage and Arts

The Highland Scots Who Opposed Slavery in Colonial America

The famous declaration that perpetual slavery was “shocking to human nature” is genuine. So are the petition’s arguments about debt, labour, Spanish

by LM Bruce

1 October 2026

MV Lord of the Isles Approaching Lochboisdale, 10 May 2017

Featured·Transport

Public Money, Private Shortlist: CMAL Will Not Name the Shipyards Bidding for Scotland’s Next Lifeline Ferry

Scotland’s publicly owned ferry buyer is defending a decision not to reveal which shipyards are competing to build the replacement for the

by John Campbell

1 October 2026

56621078 handsome tourist couple is travel together while riding in public bus and looking at window

Featured·Transport

Following a Global Climate Agenda: Scotland’s £2 Buses to Push Travel Away From Cars

Scotland’s £2 bus cap is being presented as help with the cost of living, but the Government’s own documents place cheaper public

by David McDonald

1 October 2026

58789188 a woman in a red tartan scarf holds a woolen gift with a magenta bow

Heritage and Arts

When Scotland Made Christmas a Working Day: Yule Customs That Survived

Scotland did not simply stop celebrating Christmas after the Reformation. Kirk courts punished people for keeping Yule, Parliament removed the Christmas court

by LM Bruce

1 October 2026

Energy·Featured

Electricity VAT Falls to Zero on 1 October, Yet Ofgem’s Typical Dual-Fuel Cap Rises £60

VAT disappears from domestic electricity bills across Scotland tomorrow, but the representative annual cost under Ofgem’s price cap will still rise from

by John Campbell

30 September 2026

64410304 advancements in facial recognition technology for secure identification

Policy and Government

Scotland’s Digital ID: ScotAccount Uses Experian, Cifas and Biometric Checks

The Scottish Government opposes a mandatory UK digital identity scheme. At the same time, Scotland already operates its own reusable digital identity

by John Campbell

30 September 2026

Economy

The EU Antimicrobial Restriction on Brazilian Meat Is Now in Force. Great Britain Still Allows Brazilian Beef

The regulatory divergence forecast by Scotland’s meat industry in August has now happened. Brazil lost European Union authorisation for several categories of

by Andrew Robertson

30 September 2026

The former Bank of Scotland at Kyle of Lochalsh

Economy·Featured

After Scotland Lost Hundreds of Bank Branches, Shared Hubs Are Building a Different Network

The rapid disappearance of conventional branches is now being followed by an expanding system of shared banking hubs. They restore cash services

by David McDonald

30 September 2026

Paramedic on stretcher fighting for life of injured woman

Community·Featured

Scotland’s Wastewater-Drug Monitoring Decision Returns to View After Nitazenes Reach 247 Deaths

Scotland recorded 1,133 drug-use deaths in 2025, with nitazenes implicated in 247 and cocaine in 589. The figures do not show that

by Andrew Robertson

30 September 2026

Economy·Featured

Great British Energy Had No Direct Employees in March. By September It Had 55

The public company’s first annual accounts and later parliamentary answers show the transition taking place behind its Aberdeen headquarters: a workforce initially

by James Stewart

30 September 2026

Policy and Government

COSLA Tells Ministers Council Reform Must Be Agreed, Not Imposed

Scotland’s council body has formally responded to proposals for six to ten regional authorities and 120 to 160 community authorities, asking ministers

by John Campbell

30 September 2026

104176830 blue to let sign on a classic building facade

Community·Highland

Highland Sends Two More Short-Term Let Control Areas to Scottish Ministers

Councillors have approved proposals covering Inverness and a broad sweep of the rural Highlands. If ministers agree, future conversions of homes to

by Andrew Robertson

30 September 2026

Energy

Scotland Has a 32.8GW Battery Pipeline as Ofgem Proposes a Financial Test for Grid Places

Scotland has accumulated 32.8 gigawatts of proposed battery-storage capacity in its planning pipeline, making batteries the largest single technology awaiting development in

by John Campbell

28 September 2026

Featured·Infrastructure

New Report Proposes Moving Scotland’s School-Education Functions Out of 32 Council Authorities

Scotland’s 32 councils could cease to operate as individual education authorities under a new reform proposal published by the Scottish Government today,

by James Stewart

28 September 2026

Policy and Government

Scotland Has No Compulsory Sale Order — and England’s Six-Month Empty-Home Reform Does Not Apply Here

If you own a property in Scotland, rent one out, are trying to sell one, or have seen reports that councils are

by Andrew Robertson

28 September 2026

Environment·Featured

Scotland’s 3G Pitches May Lose Up to 1,772 Tonnes of Microplastic a Year as New Sites Are Still Funded

Artificial football turf in Scotland may be losing between 443 and 1,772 tonnes of microplastic into the environment every year. The estimate

by John Campbell

27 September 2026

Environment·Featured

Scotland Knows the Pesticides It Uses, But Less About Where They Go

Almost every hectare of Scotland’s arable farmland received a pesticide treatment in 2024. The country’s arable crops covered about 502,400 hectares. Once

by James Stewart

27 September 2026

Featured·Policy and Government

Your NHS Records, Tissue and DNA: When Scotland Can Share Them, and How Companies Can Profit From Their Use

Scotland is building a health research system in which information produced during ordinary NHS care, such as hospital records, prescriptions, laboratory results

by Andrew Robertson

27 September 2026

Featured·Infrastructure

Oracle Invokes Force Majeure on Major US Project While Scotland Is Moving Government Into Oracle

More than £51 billion in Scottish Government payments passed through Oracle Cloud in its first year. The platform now carries HR, payroll,

by David McDonald

24 September 2026

Woman with narcotic addiction sitting at home checking bag with white powder for dependency and craving. Desperate person with illegal habit having drugs, herion, cocaine in hand

Policy and Government

Scotland’s Lost Citizens: 1,133 Drug-Use Deaths in 2025 as John Swinney Declares a Public Health Emergency

Scotland registered 1,133 drug-use deaths in 2025, an increase of 116 in a year. The average person who died was 46. The

by LM Bruce

24 September 2026

89715286 green moss on a tree trunk old bark creeping spore green plant without roots and flowers

Environment

Scientists Will Search for the Peat Moss That Survives Drought

A new £2.7 million research programme led from Scotland will search wild Sphagnum populations across Britain and Ireland for mosses that already

by James Stewart

23 September 2026

Environment

PFAS Detected at Nearly 90% of Scottish Surface-Water Sites Sampled by SEPA

Scotland’s first expanded PFAS scoping programme tested 29 compounds at 97 surface-water and 37 groundwater locations. PFAS were detected at just under

by Andrew Robertson

23 September 2026

Caucasian woman in a wheelchair buys a train ticket using a mobile phone at a self service checkout

Featured·Infrastructure

Accessible Trains, Inaccessible Stations

Scotland says disabled people should be able to travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as everyone else. Its trains

by John Campbell

23 September 2026

102616216 a futuristic digital heads up display interface isometric digital grid

Energy

About £104 Million of July’s Grid Constraint Bill Was Assigned to Scotland. One Scottish Workaround Saved an Estimated £39 Million

NESO spent £221.2 million managing electricity constraints across Great Britain in July. Its monthly analysis assigns 47 per cent of that cost

by James Stewart

23 September 2026

65051466 offshore wind turbines stand tall above the water harnessing wind energy on a cloudy day the fog creates a mystical atmosphere around the structures showcasing renewable

Energy·Featured

ScotWind’s Scottish Commitments Rise to £25.6 Billion as Scotland’s Share of Project Spend Falls to 29%

The latest figures for 16 ScotWind projects show more money projected for the Scottish supply chain than three years ago, but total

by Andrew Robertson

23 September 2026

57073056 abandoned gas station with a rusty gasoline pump post apocalyptic cityscape absence of people and carsenergy crisis

Featured·Infrastructure

Who Gets the Fuel First? Inside Scotland’s Plans for a Serious Supply Shortage

As Scotland adapts to life after the Grangemouth refinery closure, the UK’s emergency rationing frameworks face a unique challenge north of the

by Andrew Robertson

23 September 2026

Policy and Government

Scotland’s First Drug-Checking Service Opens in Glasgow — But Home Office Licence Restricts Who Can Use It

Scotland’s first local drug-checking service will open in Glasgow on 5 October, allowing people to submit illicit drugs for rapid analysis and

by James Stewart

23 September 2026

Featured·Policy and Government

Labour Joins SNP and Greens as Holyrood Votes 84–18 for Scotland’s ‘Right to Decide’

Scottish Labour joined the SNP and Greens to back the principle that Scotland has the right to determine its own future, producing

by David McDonald

23 September 2026

Heritage and Arts

Scotland’s Forgotten Dead: The Strange Things the Records Say Really Happened

Long before Scotland’s haunted castles became visitor attractions, ministers, doctors, judges, councils and ordinary families were recording something stranger: funeral parties racing

by LM Bruce

21 September 2026

Policy and Government·Scottish News

John Swinney Signed Scotland’s Local-Integration Reform in 2011. Now He Is Redrawing the System

Fifteen years after putting his name to a reform programme built around local integration, John Swinney leads plans for two strategic health

by David McDonald

21 September 2026

St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh, headquarters of the Scottish Government, photographed from the air in April 2025. Credit: 瑞丽江的河水

Policy and Government

The Great Consolidation of Scotland’s Public Bodies

Scotland’s Public-Sector Reorganisation Now Reaches Local Government Scotland’s public administration is entering a five-year reorganisation affecting health boards, councils, environmental agencies, transport

by David McDonald

21 September 2026

Artist’s interpretation of an Anglo Saxon silver coin discovered at an eroding coastal archaeological site in Shetland. No public image of the newly found Gletness coin has yet

Heritage and Arts·Shetland Islands

How an Anglo-Saxon Coin Reached the Edge of the Norse World

The Shetland discovery comes from an eroding coastal site already yielding evidence from the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Norse periods. Its

by LM Bruce

21 September 2026

Economy

Scotland’s Supermarket Promotions Change on 1 October

New rules will restrict where some foods can be displayed and how they can be promoted, changing supermarket entrances, checkouts, aisle ends

by James Stewart

21 September 2026

Featured·Transport

Air Traffic Control Failure at Prestwick Disrupts Flights Across Scotland

Flights across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England were delayed or cancelled after a technical failure at the Prestwick air traffic control

by Andrew Robertson

21 September 2026

Economy·Featured

Inside the Digital Kiosks Moving Onto Scotland’s Streets

Planning applications across Scotland describe communications kiosks equipped with defibrillators and advertising screens. Behind that description is a privately operated platform capable

by David McDonald

21 September 2026

Featured·Transport

Northern Scotland Enters a Week of Nuclear Security and Military Training

An emergency-response exercise at Dounreay will close part of the A9 and stop passenger access at Georgemas Junction on 23 September, while

by David McDonald

21 September 2026

Burns Poetical Works, Old Kirk end tree transfer, Mauchline ware

Heritage and Arts

The Little Wooden Boxes Scotland Sent Around the World

They held powdered tobacco, sewing needles, spectacles, pills, perfume, photographs and reels of thread. They carried pictures of Burns Cottage, Scottish castles

by LM Bruce

17 September 2026

Community

£105m Broadband Build Reaches New Aberdeenshire Communities as Scotland Tries to Close Its Rural Fibre Gap

Almost 1,000 homes and businesses around Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen are next in line for full-fibre broadband as one of Scotland’s largest publicly

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

North Sea oil platforms stand waiting in the Cromarty Firth near Invergordon, Scotland

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

£50 Billion Behind the Tax Argument: What Is Really at Stake in the North Sea

The offshore industry says 111 oil and gas projects representing £50 billion of potential private investment could move forward under a different

by Andrew Robertson

17 September 2026

Cameronbridge distillery entrance and silos

Economy·Featured·Fife

Strike at Europe’s Largest and Oldest Grain Distillery in Scotland Puts Diageo Restructuring Under Pressure

More than 100 workers at Europe’s largest and oldest grain distillery are preparing for three weeks of industrial action as Diageo restructures

by David McDonald

17 September 2026

69535834 on the road on scotlands east coast

Environment

Autumn Rain Returns but Eastern Scotland’s Rivers Remain in Significant Water Scarcity

Four areas of eastern Scotland remain at the highest level of SEPA’s water-scarcity system despite the return of rain, with 136 abstraction

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

70228196 north american beaver castor canadensis wild animal swimming dam building

Environment

Scotland Moves 35 Beavers to New Homes as 22 Are Killed Under Licence

Scotland is deliberately expanding its beaver population into new Highland catchments while continuing to remove animals from farmland and other conflict sites.

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

Heritage and Arts

The Scottish Roots of the Sixth-Largest Trade Book Publisher in the United States

When former chief executive Michael Hyatt wrote The Thomas Neilson Way, the company whose name he led was described as the sixth-largest

by LM Bruce

17 September 2026

General defense offices with satellite based CCTV network uses real time surveillance images to monitor highway traffic. Administrative transmission and reconnaissance services in

Featured·Transport

From LitterCam to Digital Warden: Inside the Company Behind Scotland’s New Roadside AI Cameras

The cameras newly watching traffic on two of Scotland’s busiest roads are being presented as a six-month experiment in counting rubbish thrown

by James Stewart

17 September 2026

Transport

Waiting for the School Sea Bus: Ulva’s Run to Mull

For children living on Ulva, the journey into Scotland’s education system begins with a boat. A new five-year council contract will keep

by Andrew Robertson

17 September 2026

Argyll and Bute·Featured·Infrastructure

Five Thousand Tonnes, One Ship: Islay’s £1.1m Road Plan Hits Dry Dock

Argyll and Bute Council devised a new way of getting thousands of tonnes of road material to Islay after repeated ferry disruption

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

Infrastructure

Scotland Has 219 Cladding Assessments Under Way: Only 16 Are Complete

Scotland has 219 government-funded cladding safety assessments under way, up by 70 in three months. Sixteen have been completed, a total unchanged

by Andrew Robertson

17 September 2026

Energy·Orkney Islands

North Ronaldsay Faces Winter on Diesel as Power Cable Replacement Slips to Spring 2027

North Ronaldsay will spend the coming winter dependent on temporary diesel generation after replacement of its failed electricity cable to Sanday was

by John Campbell

17 September 2026

Energy·Shetland Islands

Shetland Expected £700,000 From Viking Wind Farm. It Now Expects £550,000

Shetland Islands Council has cut its forecast rental income from the 103-turbine Viking wind farm by £150,000. The adjustment provides an early

by James Stewart

17 September 2026

Community·Highland

Highland Council Asked to Pause Health and Social Care Integration Review

Highland Council is being asked to pause an 18-month review of how health and social care are governed after its own appraisal

by Andrew Robertson

16 September 2026

Policy and Government

NHS Scotland Awards New £100,000 Contract for Pelvic Mesh Removal

A new NHS Scotland contract will continue specialist pelvic mesh removal treatment for women living with complications from procedures that were halted

by LM Bruce

16 September 2026

Featured·Policy and Government

Westminster Set India Trade Terms as More Than Half of Scotland’s £3bn Trade Projection Flows From India to Scotland

The Scottish Government presented India as a £3 billion opportunity for Scottish businesses. Its own central model tells a more complicated story.

by David McDonald

16 September 2026

Featured·Policy and Government

Scotland, Wales and Ireland’s Nationalist Movements Join Forces in Challenge to Westminster Rule

SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin sign Cardiff pact declaring ‘constitutional change is coming’ The leaders of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and

by LM Bruce

14 September 2026

Aberdeen City·Community

Rainbow City Taxis Pledges £30,000 as Aberdeen Arts Centre Fundraising Passes £279,000

Rainbow City Taxis has committed £30,000 over three years to the campaign to secure the future of Aberdeen Arts Centre, taking the

by LM Bruce

10 September 2026

Environment

A Grangemouth Factory Is Trying to Make Omega-3 Without Catching Fish

SEPA is considering a permit for a new industrial process at Earls Road in Grangemouth that would produce omega-3-rich material from microalgae

by David McDonald

10 September 2026

Environment·Featured

In 2017, Scotland Had 61 Salmon Stocks Rated Good. For 2027, Only 22 Are Left

Scotland’s latest assessment of wild Atlantic salmon shows a ten-year deterioration across much of the country. For the 2017 angling season, 61

by LM Bruce

10 September 2026

Economy·Featured

Scotland’s Businesses Are Beginning to Worry More About Missing Customers Than Rising Costs

Falling demand has become the most commonly cited main concern among Scottish businesses for September 2026, narrowly ahead of energy prices. At

by Andrew Robertson

10 September 2026

Detail from Matthias Buchinger’s celebrated micrographic self portrait. The curls of his hair are formed from minute handwritten passages of biblical text, including the Lord’s

Heritage and Arts

The Famous Mr. Buchinger

In April 1723, a German artist named Matthias Buchinger was working in Edinburgh. He made drawings on vellum so intricate that some

by LM Bruce

10 September 2026

Heritage and Arts

Scotland Preserved a Roman Monument for 1,500 Years. It Took One Landowner to Destroy It in 1743.

Until the middle of the eighteenth century, an extraordinary Roman stone building stood near Stenhousemuir beside the eastern end of the Antonine

by LM Bruce

10 September 2026

Caption: Shankend Viaduct south of Hawick, part of the former Waverley Route between Edinburgh and Carlisle. The line closed in 1969; the surviving viaduct stands on the corridor

Featured·Transport

Scotland Is Studying a Railway From Tweedbank to Carlisle. The Victorian Route It Would Follow Has Been Partly Dismantled for 57 Years.

A new public survey opened in September as Scottish Borders Council and WSP began developing the case for extending the Borders Railway

by James Stewart

10 September 2026

Caption: An Edinburgh tram on Princes Street. The city is considering the next major expansion of the network, with proposed routes towards Granton in the north and the Royal

Featured·Transport

Edinburgh Is Preparing to Spend Up to £2.9 Billion on Its Next Tram Expansion

Edinburgh councillors are being asked on 10 September to decide whether the city should advance the next stage of its tram expansion.

by David McDonald

10 September 2026

Featured·Infrastructure

Highland Councillors Were Asked on 9 September to Oppose a 173-Kilometre Power Line

Highland Council’s planning officers have recommended a formal objection to one of the largest electricity transmission projects proposed in northern Scotland: a

by James Stewart

10 September 2026

Seafield and Kishorn Port geograph.org.uk 7320977

Featured·Infrastructure

Scotland Is Rebuilding the Giant Highland Dry Dock Created for the North Sea Oil Age

In 1975, workers began removing 1.8 million tonnes of Torridonian sandstone from a Highland mountainside to create a construction yard capable of

by Andrew Robertson

10 September 2026

Energy·Featured

Scotland Is Becoming a Giant Battery

At the end of March, Scotland had 22 operating battery-storage projects with a combined capacity of 843 megawatts. Behind them was something

by David McDonald

9 September 2026

Energy·Featured

One of Scotland’s New Grid-Stability Machines Has Changed Hands

A little-known piece of electrical infrastructure in Moray changed hands this week. Foresight Group says it has acquired the Blackhillock Synchronous Condenser,

by David McDonald

9 September 2026

Economy·Featured

When a Publicly Backed Scottish Technology Company Fails, Who Keeps the Invention?

PureLiFi was created from research at the University of Edinburgh, received Scottish public support over more than a decade and built an

by John Campbell

9 September 2026

77329342 scottish parliament in edinburgh

Featured·Policy and Government

Scotland Is About to Rewrite the Map of Its Public Bodies

The Scottish Government has begun a five-year programme to reduce a public sector landscape containing more than 130 national bodies. Transport Scotland

by James Stewart

9 September 2026

74117298 young woman in professional training to become plumber

Featured·Policy and Government

Scotland Plans 150,000 Apprenticeships. Parliament Has Reopened the Question of Where the Money Goes

The Scottish Government intends to fund at least 150,000 apprenticeships over the next five years. As it prepares for that expansion, an

by Andrew Robertson

9 September 2026

Shrine Fragment, Jedburgh Abbey 3D model

Heritage and Arts

Scotland’s Lost Kingdoms Left Their Art in Church Walls, Graveyards and Broken Stone

Before there was a kingdom recognisably called Scotland, the country south of the Forth and Clyde was divided between competing peoples, churches

by LM Bruce

3 September 2026

Heritage and Arts·Scottish History Ledger

Before GPS, Scotland’s Coast Was a Map Made From Castles, Churches, Chimneys and Hills

Before GPS, Scotland’s Coast Was a Map Made From Castles, Churches, Chimneys and Hills In the middle of the nineteenth century, sailors

by LM Bruce

3 September 2026

Transport

Glasgow’s M8 Is Being Physically Lifted Off Its Supports This Weekend

Engineers will close the eastbound M8 through central Glasgow for extended periods between Friday night and Monday morning while they jack part

by David McDonald

3 September 2026

Infrastructure

The Invisible Infrastructure Running Scotland’s Water Is Being Rebuilt for £230 Million

Scottish Water’s new technology contracts began on 1 September. Behind Scotland’s reservoirs, treatment works and 64,000 miles of pipes sits another national

by LM Bruce

3 September 2026

Transport

Scotland Is Rebuilding the Gourock–Dunoon Ferry Link But Has Not Decided How Many Ferries to Build

A programme intended to replace ageing passenger ferries and rebuild three Clyde harbours has reached an unusual stage. The original strategic case

by Andrew Robertson

3 September 2026

Infrastructure

Glasgow Is About to Manufacture 100 Million Lasers a Year for the AI Economy

A semiconductor manufacturing plant in Lanarkshire is being expanded to produce more than 100 million lasers a year. The components are measured

by James Stewart

3 September 2026

Infrastructure

Scotland’s Railway Was Built for Another Climate. £400 Million Is Now Being Spent to Keep It Running

Scotland is two years into a £400 million programme to protect its railway from heavier rainfall, landslips, flooding, coastal weather and higher

by Andrew Robertson

3 September 2026

Energy

Wind Turbines Are Getting Too Big for the Roads. Scotland Is About to Try a Different Design.

A wind farm near Lairg will become the first project in Britain to use GE Vernova’s Cypress turbine. Its blades can be

by LM Bruce

3 September 2026

Environment

Scotland’s Peatlands Are Becoming Financial Assets

New restoration contracts appeared this week for peatland on North Uist and in the Highlands. Behind the engineering work is an emerging

by David McDonald

3 September 2026

Environment

For Generations Scotland Has Burned Its Moors. From 15 September, It Will Need Permission.

One of Scotland’s oldest forms of land management is about to enter a new legal system. From 15 September, every act of

by John Campbell

3 September 2026

10280598 petroleum platform on the guanabara bay

Economy

Another Scottish Energy Company Is Being Sold Overseas

Capricorn Energy has spent more than four decades building businesses from Edinburgh, from the North Sea to India, Senegal and Egypt. A

by LM Bruce

3 September 2026

98979286 drone surveying offshore wind turbine from boat during overcast evening conditions in bloom region

Energy

Scotland’s £96 Billion Offshore Wind Pipeline Now Faces a Decision Made Beyond Scotland

The National Energy System Operator has submitted six possible pathways for Great Britain’s energy system to government. Scotland has already leased seabed

by James Stewart

3 September 2026