SCOTLAND'S biggest conservation charity has registered deep concerns over "unacceptable" proposals to build 50 metre high electricity pylons next to some of the nation's most historic landmarks.
The National Trust for Scotland said overhead pylons would degrade the landscape and called for them to be re-sited or for cables to be buried underground.
It comes as Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSE PD) opened up a second stage of consultation on its plans for the pylons as part of the Beauly-Blackhillock-Kintore Reinforcement Project. The new consultation was deemed necessary because of amendments made to the “preferred” route as was originally consulted upon in 2015.
NTS said the amended boundary would mean that pylons would be constructed close to Culloden Battlefield and the nearby 4,000 year-old Clava Cairns, as well as Castle Fraser and Leith Hall.
The battlefield marks the site of the last of the battles that disfigured the frequently troubled relationship between England and Scotland. It was the final confrontation in the Jacobite rising of 1745, which saw Charles Edward Stuart try to regain the British throne for the House of Stuart.
In his 4 May letter to SHE PD, the National Trust for Scotland’s Chief Executive, Simon Skinner wrote: “Our own research has found that overhead powerlines are identified by both our members and the wider public as one of the most significant factors in degrading valued landscapes.
"It is therefore imperative that the careful siting and, where appropriate, undergrounding of power cables is followed. Without these protections, the enjoyment of our nationally and internationally valued landscapes will be damaged, with all the consequences that follow.
“It is unacceptable, for example, that in the case of Culloden, if this project goes ahead there will be no less than three large overhead lines passing through this glen within a mile or so of each other. This is not something we can support.”
The Trust was one of the original objectors to the Beauly to Denny power line and has since expressed concern about its impact on wild landscapes, in addition to moves to incorporate new infrastructure and to make the access tracks used for its construction permanent.
Speaking about the Trust’s concerns, Mr Skinner added: “I completely understand that the country needs to upgrade its capacity to transmit electricity. What disappoints me with this scheme is that SSE seems to be coming up with the cheapest, least imaginative and most damaging options possible.
“Scotland is a country rich in history and natural heritage and these help define us internationally and sustain a significant part of our economy through tourism. SSE should not be putting forward proposals that jeopardise this.
“SSE made over half a billion pounds of profit last year, much of it coming from levies that have been applied to the energy bills of ordinary Scots. At the very least they have an obligation to minimise the impact of their proposals on the nation’s cherished places.”
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc (SHE Transmission), a subsidary of Perth-based energy supplier SSE which is responsible for maintaining and investing in the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland, would review all responses to their consultation.
An SHE Transmission spokeman said “In order for the lights to stay on SHE Transmission needs to upgrade the electricity network in the north of Scotland.
"We do everything we can to make sure this is done in a cost effective way, while being sympathetic to the natural environment. We have held over 20 productive consultation meetings as part of the Beauly, Blackhillock, Kintore project and we take the opinions of the public and statutory bodies seriously.
"We assess the best possible engineering option, and undergrounding is not a panacea as it can be extremely damaging to the environment as it could require up to a 2m deep trench the width of dual carriageway to be carved through the landscape."
They said the major upgrades were needed "due to the increasing electrical demands on the network".
SHE Transmission already has held 21 consultation events to secure feedback from the public and held further engagement events with statutory bodies, including the National Trust for Scotland, and landowners on potential route corridors for the proposed transmission line.
The consultation phase closed on Friday and SHE Transmission is reviewing the feedback before going back out again to consult with the public and other stakeholders on the refined route corridor during 2017.
A SHE Transmission spokesman added: "SHE Transmission has a regulatory responsibility to find the best engineering, environment and economic solution possible to ensure a safe and secure supply of electricity is delivered to homes and businesses across the country."
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