Giant 60m pylons will strech across the Scottish Highlands if the plan goes ahead
The controversial replacement power line, which will see 60m (200ft) pylons march across some of the most spectacular scenery in the Highlands, looks set to be approved.
A leaked report over the weekend said the Scottish Government will give the go-ahead for a replacement line of 600 giant transmission towers stretching from Beauly near Inverness to Denny near Falkirk. The project has split opinion in Scotland, with Scottish Labour and the Green party backing the scheme, but outdoor groups condemning the proposal.
Today, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland reiterated its opposition to the scheme.
The council’s chief officer David Gibson said: “In making the following statement, we recognise that unnamed renewables industry sources were the origin of this story.
“Our view is unchanged from our previous position. The MCofS views a decision to go ahead with the Beauly-Denny line as one which ignores the overwhelming evidence provided to the planning inquiry.
“If it proceeds, the power line will damage some of Scotland’s most important and beautiful mountain landscapes, including a section of the Cairngorms National Park. Scotland’s landscape encourages people from all walks of life to enjoy the mountains, which offer opportunities for recreation, relaxation and tourism. The prospect of a new industrial landscape in the Highlands is one that will have a negative impact on all these activities.
“Until we hear the Government statement, and the extent of the conditions placed upon any approval, we must assume the worst, and that means sacrificing iconic landscapes, rather than taking logical alternative route choices.
“Government and the renewables industry know that Beauly-Denny is not the only means of bringing power south. The power line is not needed as subsea cables would provide a far better long-term solution.”
Dennis Canavan, former MSP and now president of Ramblers Scotland also expressed his anger at the decision on the BBC Scotland Politics Show, saying: “If it does get the go-ahead then it will be an unacceptable act of vandalism.”
The John Muir Trust, which owns much of Ben Nevis, Schiehallion and Quinag, has also opposed the scheme, as have the Scottish Conservatives.
The Scottish Government said “Ministers will make a decision on the Beauly-Denny power line before the end of this year taking into account all relevant factors.”
Jo Cumming
10 November 2009The decision making process has been appalling. The Lib-Lab pact started the rot by laying down woolly objectives with no requirement to avoid damage to the Scottish Tourist industry. The SNP have done nothing to improve matters. Even worse, I understand that some members of their Energy, Tourism and Environment Committee were heard to denounce the objectors and support SSE's plans for the pylons even before the Inquiry Report was made public. Surely such a committee should have been the first to insist that alternatives such as subsea routes or upgrading the current line should be fully explored before a decision is made? 18,000 objectors was one of the largest number ever in the UK. I call on the Scottish Government to tell us how many more objections they have had since the original deadline. The thousands of visitors from overseas who drive along Loch Laggan and come to our shop in Monarch of the Glen Country cannot believe that the Scottish Government is even thinking of allowing such outstanding scenary to be spoiled by industrial pylons.
jo cumming
10 November 2009additional comment...
Until the decision regarding the Beauly-Denny 400kv powerline is made, there is still time to write to John Swinney MSP and ask him to protect our tourist industry by deciding in favour of the viable alternative approaches to increasing transmission capacity.