Ross-shire communities demand consultation reset on SSEN power line consultation amid concerns project is being 'pushed through'
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CAMPAIGN groups in Ross-shire concerned about a major new overhead power line are making it clear they want the consultation process restarted.
With less than two weeks to go before public consultation ends on the proposed new Caithness to Beauly 440kv pylon line, a number of communities along the proposed route say the process being used to "push the project through" is not acceptable.
They want SSEN and the Scottish Government to restart the consultation process "with much better information and a much more inclusive approach".
The alert comes just days after SSEN announced it had agreed to extend its initial consultation period by a fortnight – to April 14 _ and offered a number of assurances in response to growing concerns.
The Spittal-Loch Buidhe-Beauly 400kV project is part of a GB wide programme of works that are required to meet UK and Scottish Government 2030 renewable targets.
SSEN says these reinforcements will help secure the country’s future energy independence by removing our dependence on, and price exposure to, volatile global wholesale gas markets through accelerating the deployment of homegrown and affordable low carbon electricity generation, and the enabling electricity network infrastructure required to connect and transport this power.
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Representatives of the Strathpeffer and Contin Better Cable Route say that local residents are shocked at SSEN’s proposals, which would see pylons up to 60m high crossing their scenic area.
SSEN’s two preferred routes would see a line of huge pylons running either below the ancient hillfort of Knockfarrel and the Cat’s Back ridge or strung along the Heights above the strath, before passing very close to the popular tourist village of Strathpeffer and through woodland areas beloved by walkers, cyclists and wildlife watchers.
The pylons would then continue to Contin and Strathconon, whose landscape of rolling farmland with its backdrop of forests and mountains is often regarded as the gateway to Wester Ross.
Further north, in Culrain and Carbisdale, a public meeting held last month heard how SSEN had “forgotten” to mention one of the options under consideration for the area when a public consultation session was held there in February.
There are serious concerns about the pylons blighting the scenery and wildlife of the Kyle of Sutherland area and affecting major investment plans for Carbisdale Castle.
Beauly residents are also facing a new pylon line to Aberdeenshire and a substation in the Fanellen area.
A meeting to launch a Highland campaign against the pylon lines is due to take place in Kiltarlity Village Hall on Friday (April 7) at 6pm.
Meanwhile, campaigners say representatives of local history and archaeology groups along the Spittal to Beauly route were "horrified" to discover that SSEN’s current preferred routes have been prepared without proper research into the archaeological and historical sites which could be adversely affected.
They say SSEN have now asked local groups to send in details of sites in their areas before the consultation deadline of April 14 but still expect to make their final decision on the final pylon route just two weeks later.
In the Strathpeffer area alone, they say, sites of national importance likely to be severely impacted by SSEN’s two preferred routes include the Strathpeffer Conservation Area, the ancient Knockfarrel hill fort, Category A Listed Castle Leod and its woodlands, and the Loch Kinellan crannog.
Helen Smith of Rowan Tree Consulting, which specialises in tourism and heritage projects in the Highlands, said: “The huge threat to heritage in the Strathpeffer area is repeated right along the route from Caithness to Beauly. Every moor, strath and glen the pylons will cross has special sites, some dating back 6000 years, and even if these sites do not end up with huge pylons on top of them, their surrounding landscape will be drastically affected.
"Places with important historical links to Highlanders are also under threat – for example, the landscape around Croick Church, where 18 families (92 people in all) evicted from Glen Calvie sheltered in 1845, and Culrain, scene of anti-Clearance riots in 1820.
"Many traditional droving routes will also be scarred. This project is putting Highlanders in the same position as indigenous people in other parts of the world who are seeing their precious places industrialised by governments and large companies who only seem to care about achieving profits and targets.
"It’s a bit like the Highland Clearances 200 years ago when making money from the land was seen as being far more important than thinking about the actual communities who were living there. We expect better from Holyrood in 2023 given their Just Transition mission to achieve a fairer, greener future for all.”
Dan Bailey of the Strathpeffer and Contin Better Cable Group said: “It’s almost as if SSEN’s preferred route was designed to cause maximum damage. But alternative routes with less impact are possible; if only they had asked local experts before attempting to bulldoze through this mad process.
"The more we see of these proposals, and the more we speak to other communities on the proposed routes, the more determined we are to insist that this project is planned properly and that the natural and cultural heritage of the East Highlands is protected.
"We are not against renewable energy, but SSEN cannot be allowed to ride roughshod over people, wildlife and history. This is a huge project with huge implications. We want to see a proper consultation process, with comprehensive research and a genuine willingness to listen to local communities, before any decisions about the final route are taken. We are working with other local communities facing the same threats as us, and we are ready to mount legal and planning challenges if necessary.”
SSEN said earlier: "“Whilst delivering this critical national infrastructure by 2030 requires an acceleration of the project development and delivery phases, we remain fully committed to work closely with the local community and wider stakeholders to help inform our design and it is important to note that the project remains in the early stages of development and no specific overhead line route alignments have been identified.
"We are currently seeking feedback on potential route options within approximately 1km wide areas and preferred substation locations, with this feedback helping inform more detailed overhead line route options and our proposed substation site selections, which we will further consult on later this year.
“We would like to thank everyone who has shared their feedback so far, which will be carefully considered as we further refine our plans. Given the extent of interest in the project and in direct response to requests from the community, we have extended the consultation period by two weeks and would encourage anyone with an interest in the project to provide their feedback by Friday, April 14.”
For more information, including the initial response to the consultation feedback received, please visit the dedicated project webpage https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/project-map/spittal--loch-buidhe--beauly-400kv-connection/
