Parts for the £90 million Gordonbush wind farm in Strath Brora will be transported via the A9 through Golspie and Brora, developers have decided.

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) have rejected the option of using an alternative hill route, accessed just south of Golspie. Their decision is bound to cause massive controversy locally.

East Sutherland and Edderton ward councillor Ian Ross is on record as saying that any proposal to use the A9 through Golspie and Brora was totally unacceptable.

He said yesterday (Thursday) that he would be seeking an explanation from SSE about the route chosen.

Members of Brora Community Council, meeting on Tuesday evening, also expressed their dismay.

The 35-turbine wind farm on hill ground on the Gordonbush sporting estate – owned by the Tyser family– was given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government in April this year.

Opponents claimed the decision represented a "failure in democracy". One of their major concerns was that the access route had still to be determined.

Under consideration were two routes. One was along the A9 to Brora, then turning at the Old School House at Clynelish, a listed building, and from there along the Strath Brora road to Ascoile. The alternative was to use the hill route constructed for the Kilbraur wind farm, accessed off the A9 at Drummuie. This would have involved extending the road to reach Ascoile by building a bridge across the River Brora.

Scottish and Southern Energy have placed an advertisement in this week's Northern Times announcing they have opted for the A9 route.

The company claimed it had undertaken extensive engineering and environmental studies to assess the Kilbraur option.

It states: "SSE has concluded that the best route to the site will still be via the turning at the Old School House and Strath Brora. An application for listed building consent will therefore be lodged shortly.

"The Old School House building will be renovated as part of the works. This will enable it to be returned to a beneficial use at the end of the project and to improve its overall appearance."

Councillor Ross told the NT yesterday (Thursday): "It remains my view that an extension to the Kilbraur wind farm road offered an ideal access solution for the Gordonbush wind farm and I had hoped there could be a successful conclusion to the engineering site assessment and the negotiation of access agreements with the relevant land owners for this route. Any proposal to use the A9 through Golspie and Brora is a cause of great concern and can only result in nuisance, extreme disturbance and potential structural damage to the road and to neighbouring properties."

He continued: "In the past I have made written representations to the Scottish Government and Highland Council on this matter and urged them to secure an access using the established Kilbraur wind farm route, with a comparatively short extension to Strath Brora.

"This route would leave the A9 south of Golspie at Drummuie, travel up to Dunrobin Glen and on through the existing Kilbraur wind farm development.

"This would result in no significant traffic movement through a built-up area. This is a clear transport solution which avoids the two settlements of Golspie and Brora.

"I will now be in contact with SSE to seek clarification of the situation and, if the intended route is via the Old School House, I will seek a full explanation of the reasons the Kilbraur route is not to be used."

A spokesman for Brora Community Council said: "Dismay was expressed at the prospect of these components travelling through Golspie and Brora and the chairman will discuss the matter with local authority planners."

* Should wind farm components be driven through villages on the A9? Go to 'The Big Vote' to have your say.

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