Caithness campaign group in ‘apocalyptic wasteland’ warning over pylons
Campaigners opposed to a new line of pylons through the north Highlands have claimed that parts of Caithness and Sutherland will resemble “an apocalyptic wasteland” if the plans go ahead.
They fear the landscape will be “industrialised and ruined forever” and accuse SSEN Transmission of committing “environmental vandalism” while paying lip service to local feedback.
The concerns have been raised by Dunbeath and Berriedale Community Say No to Pylons Action Group following recent changes to the proposed 400kV overhead line linking Spittal, Loch Buidhe and Beauly. These include adjustments to the pylon route in the Dunbeath area to help “minimise local impacts”.
Details were given last month in a Report on Consultation from SSEN Transmission, confirming the final overhead line route alignments to be brought forward for planning consent and development.
If approved, the project will involve about 167km of new pylons as well as three new substations along its route. These include the proposed Banniskirk Hub, which was the focus of a meeting in Halkirk last week at which one resident claimed: “This will change our landscape and rural way of life beyond recognition.”
The average height of the pylons will be 57 metres, with a maximum height of 65m. At a public meeting in Dunbeath a year ago, it was claimed that “Spittal to Beauly is just the beginning of the end for the Highlands”.
Dunbeath and Berriedale Community Say No to Pylons Action Group claims the pylon plans are creating “despair and devastation” in the affected communities.
In a statement, the group said: “The Dunbeath and Berriedale Community Say No to Pylons Action Group expresses deep disappointment with SSEN’s minor modifications to the proposed overhead line route through our communities. These slight adjustments do nothing to mitigate the fundamental issues at stake – namely, the unnecessary and destructive placement of infrastructure that directly impacts homes, landscapes and the wellbeing of local residents.
“Despite SSEN’s claims of listening to community concerns, the reality is that the company has disregarded meaningful public feedback. Instead of exploring alternative routes or genuinely reconsidering the need for this project, SSEN appears to have prioritised the financial interests of corporate shareholders over the voices of affected individuals.
“The so-called ‘optioneering software’ that SSEN relies upon has proven inadequate, selecting routes that cut through people’s gardens, disrupt lives and endanger important archaeological sites.
“It was only after local residents pointed out these oversights that the company acknowledged the presence of scheduled monuments and areas of grade one peatland – an internationally significant environmental asset. The Flow Country, a Unesco-recognised site, highlights the vital role peatlands play in carbon capture and biodiversity. To even consider industrialising such a precious ecosystem is an act of environmental vandalism.
“What SSEN’s optioneering software does not take into account is the despair and devastation communities and individuals are feeling. Feedback given is for the most part dismissed, and how do you consider the human factor for an engineering project? What is currently a relatively unspoilt landscape is going to be industrialised and ruined forever.
“Saying ‘we have acted on feedback’ really makes little difference to those of us living with this every day. Whether you move the pylons a few metres left or right, they are still there. People’s forever homes are being left uninhabitable.
“We have repeatedly asked for evidence demonstrating the necessity of this infrastructure, but none has been provided. Instead, SSEN offers empty promises of job creation and economic benefits which, based on past statistics and industry trends, are unlikely to materialise.
“Additionally, the impact on housing is dire – who will buy, or finance, homes situated next to towering pylons? The destruction of our landscape will leave Caithness and Sutherland looking more like an apocalyptic wasteland than the thriving rural communities they should be.
“SSEN’s so-called consultations have done little more than pay lip service to local concerns. Their representatives may have heard the distress of residents, but the real decision-makers – corporate shareholders and government officials – remain unmoved.
“This project is not about environmental sustainability. It is about maximising corporate profits at the expense of our land, heritage and quality of life.
“We demand transparency, accountability and genuine consideration of viable alternatives.”
The changes made by SSEN Transmission, “in response to community and stakeholder feedback”, are being set out at public engagement events. These include sessions at Spittal Village Hall on Monday, March 3 (3pm-7pm), and Dunbeath Community Centre on Wednesday, March 5 (3pm-7pm).
“In the section between Spittal and Brora, as the proposed new overhead line passes Dunbeath, the more inland of the two potential routes consulted on is being taken forward to reduce impacts on Dunbeath and surrounding settlements,” SSEN Transmission said when announcing its alignment plans in January.
The proposed transmission line is designed to support the energy security and clean power ambitions of the Scottish and UK governments.
The report followed three rounds of overhead line route consultations, as well as three rounds of consultation on potential substation locations.
A spokesperson for SSEN Transmission said: “We have engaged extensively with local communities and stakeholders throughout the development of the Spittal to Beauly overhead line, and we would like to thank all those who have taken the time to provide the constructive feedback that has helped to shape our proposals.
“We recognise the importance of protecting the environment and communities in our infrastructure projects, strictly adhering to environmental policies and regulations and following a mitigation hierarchy of ‘avoid, minimise, mitigate and restore’ to safeguard local, national and international designated environmentally protected areas.
“This ethos was at the forefront of our design development process for the proposed overhead line, where our specialist team took full account of the Flow Country’s World Heritage Site candidacy at all stages, recognising its vital role as a hugely complex and fragile ecosystem.
“This led to changes to the project route which are reflected in our final Report on Consultation, confirming the final overhead line route alignments being taken forward to planning consent and development, and detailing the changes made in direct response to feedback from local communities.
“From this week we are holding a further series of public engagement events where we will present our final alignment plans for the development of the overhead line, which is a key part of our upgrade of the transmission network helping meet the country’s energy security and clean power objectives, while acting as a major driver of jobs and economic activity locally and across the north of Scotland.”
SSEN Transmission has produced a 3D portal featuring viewpoints and fly-through videos of the route.
