The power company has announced that construction is to start next week on the £50 million, 23-turbine Achany Wind Farm, near Lairg.

Work on building hill access tracks and turbine stances will take place throughout April and May, during the season when birds such as the hen harrier, merlin, golden plover and greenshank are breeding.

Community councillors have now accused the company of riding roughshod over the wishes of local people with its decision to press ahead with the wind farm work.

They are also critical of government body Scottish Natural Heritage and planners for allowing SSE to sidestep a planning condition requiring construction work to take place outside the bird breeding season in order to avoid disruption.

Creich community councillor Russell Taylor is a member of a liaison group set up to serve as a link between the power company and the community. The group has written to planners flagging up its concerns.

An angry Mr Taylor said: "I think it's a disgrace that SSE are going to just plough on right through the bird breeding season.

"I also think it's atrocious that those who have the authority to do something about it have washed their hands of the problem."

The Achany development was originally opposed by the local authority, but was controversially given the go-ahead in December 2007 following a public inquiry at which the council withdrew its objections.

One of the planning conditions stated that, in order to avoid disturbance to nesting birds during the construction period, the development should be constructed outwith the April to July bird breeding season – unless otherwise agreed in writing with the planning authority in consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage.

Highland Council's planning development manager Gordon Mooney, responding to the liaison group's concerns, confirmed that SSE had been given the go-ahead.

He wrote: "SNH are the council's expert advisers on matters relating to ornithology and while they would clearly prefer the development to take place outwith the bird breeding season, they are not objecting to the construction programme proposed.

"Therefore, provided the mitigation measures proposed by the developer are put in place, it would seem unreasonable to insist on construction only taking place outwith the period April to July."

A spokesman for SNH said: "We are content that our concerns in relation to potential disturbance of protected birds have been taken on board." The RSPB were among those who originally objected to the wind farm.

Their Inverness-based conservation planner Peter Gordon pointed out that SSE was still required to maintain a buffer zone around specially protected birds such as hen harriers and merlins.

He said: "Whilst we don't approve of construction activity taking place in the breeding season, we appreciate that the planning condition does safeguard the rarer and most vulnerable species."

He added: "If a ground nesting species is on or very close to a track or turbine being built, then there will be disturbance. That applies to any activity happening in the bird season."

A spokesman for SSE said: "We have satisfied the Highland Council and also SNH that we have got a robust system in place to minimise disturbance to birds and to the sensitive habitat.

"An ecologist will be on site full-time from mid-April and he will be constantly checking and monitoring the site. We feel we have appropriate precautions in place."

Civil engineering works for the wind farm are to be undertaken by Dingwall contractors R J McLeod while electrical installation will be carried out by Scottish Hydro Contracting based in Alness.

The development is expected to be up and running by spring next year.

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