Culrain to hold 'urgent' community meeting as alarm grows over super pylons
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A SMALL Sutherland community is set to hold an "urgent meeting" tomorrow (Saturday, March 25) amid concern over plans for a new overhead, high-voltage electricity line.
Residents in Culrain are alarmed that the proposed 400 kilovolt (kV) line could potentially surround their village, cut through Carbisdale Forest and cross Carbisdale lochan and the historic site of the Battle of Culrain.
Local people also maintain that SSEN Transmission, the power company behind the project, did not make it clear in information initially released in the lead-up to a consultation exercise, that its preferred route for the pylon line would impact Culrain, but "slipped it in" later.
And they are also annoyed that SSEN, did not then hold a consultation event at Culrain given the likely effect on the community, with the nearest event taking place at Bonar Bridge.
SSEN Transmission intends to erect a new power line running from Spittal to Beauly with new proposed substations at Spittal, Loch Buidhe and Beauly. It will involve the erection of numerous, 57-metre high “super pylons” through Sutherland, similar in size to those alongside the A9 further south.
The project is part of SSEN’s £7 billion ‘pathway to 2030' upgrade of UK energy infrastructure in the north of Scotland, and will link green energy projects to the national grid.
SSEN, which has identified "preferred routes" for the pylon line, held consultation sessions in Helmsdale, Golspie and Bonar Bridge last month
As previously reported in the Northern Times, a number of people who attended these sessions came away “shocked” at the large scale of the scheme and concerned that the preferred route through Sutherland was close to the coast rather than inland.
Brora Community Council has linked with Golspie and Helmsdale Community Councils to request a meeting with SSEN to discuss the line.
Similar shock has been expressed by communities in Ross-shire with a campaign group formed – Communities Before Power Companies (CB4PC).
SSEN was invited to send representatives to tomorrow’s meeting, which is taking place at Culrain Hall from 10am to 11am, but has declined to do so.
The "C1" preferred route crosses the Kyle of Sutherland near Bonar Bridge, surrounds the village of Culrain and cuts through Carbisdale Forest.
A social media user who goes under the name of Betula Niagra submitted feedback to SSEN via its website and also posted it on the Friends of Carbisdale Forest and Culrain social media site.
She said: “The proposed C1 seems to have been slipped in at a late stage without fair warning. Early information on the website did not alert us to it."
She pointed out that the Culrain community had been working hard to expand its community facilities to provide amenities for visitors, walkers and cyclists.
“This is a highly scenic area with significant incomes generated from tourism, fishing, photography, cycling and walking," she said. “The C1 proposal is totally unacceptable on the grounds of impact on residents, health, landscape, tourism and property values."
Marieka De Jong, who is helping to organise tomorrow's meeting, said: “We did not even know this was being planned and it rips right through our villages.”
A spokesperson for SSEN Transmission said: “The Spittal, Loch Buidhe, Beauly project is in early development, and at this stage no overhead line positions have been identified.
"We are currently seeking feedback to help us determine a proposed approximately 1 km wide route for each section of the development, we will then seek further feedback on these proposals, with consultation events expected to take place later this year."
Feedback about the proposals can be submitted through the SSEN Transmission project webpage until April 14.
More details of the plans can be seen here.
