'We are listening': SSEN corporate affairs head attempts to reassure Brora meeting over 'super pylons'
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A PACKED out assembly hall at Brora Primary School last Thursday was testament to the level of local concern about SSEN Transmission’s controversial proposal to erect a 400kV power line from Spittal to Beauly and build new sub stations at Spittal, Loch Buidhe and Beauly, writes Kirsty Gunn.
Representatives from SSEN Transmission were in attendance including head of corporate affairs Greg Clarke and lead consents and environment manager Simon Hall.
Around 150 people, comprising local council members, protest groups, cultural, environmental and historical interests, as well as families and individuals, were keen to hear what SSEN had to say about their proposal to site the pylons overground as opposed to the undersea or underground options.
At around 56m in height, the proposed ‘super pylons’ will be more than twice as high as existing pylons in the north Highlands.
Greg Clarke said “feedback” and “community views” would be taken into consideration, though added that the requirement from Scottish and UK governments to complete the project on a recently accelerated timetable within a budget were the driving forces for the scheme.
He said there were challenges to both underground and undersea options and cost was also an issue.
"I would like to reassure everyone in the room that we fully recognise the strength of feeling about the potential impact of the project," he said. "We are listening and actively considering what we can do to minimise and mitigate the impact.
"We recognise that we did not get everything right in our recent round of consultation and are sorry for any anxiety it may have caused."
He stressed: "We are at an early stage of development and no decisions have been taken on the overhead route and substations."
Mr Clarke said that the north of Scotland was “blessed” with wind and so would play a “major role” in delivering power requirement to the rest of the UK.
He apologised for the fact that Brora and the surrounding area inland had been omitted from the previous round of consultations.
Simon Hall said there were "18 months to go to work through and find a compromise solution" before consents applications had to be made.
"It will not please everyone, they never do," he said.
Brora community councillor Diana Royce pointed out that SSEN was using survey maps that were “15 years out of date” while Jacquie Aitken of Timespan Heritage and Art Centre in Helmsdale, said that only eight sites of historic and cultural significance had been identified in a particular area where in reality there were “more than 80” in existence.
Carbisdale Castle owner Samantha Kane, a barrister, questioned the legality of the word “legal” being applied to the work carried out.
One person present said: “It’s clear that this project is dominated by financial concerns not community benefit. I wonder if SSEN have factored into their costing models community resistance to the point of civil disobedience.”
