Plans for a new high-voltage pylon line and substation in the Highland countryside came under fire at a public exhibition yesterday.
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, part of SSE, wants to build a 15-mile line of pylons up to 152ft high from south of Inverness to Tomatin.
The firm said the new high-voltage line is required to distribute electricity generated by the growing number of windfarms in the area and it is legally obliged to offer a connection.
Plans for the development – including a substation outside Tomatin which would cover nearly nine acres on the Garbole Road – went on show at Strathdearn Village Hall yesterday.
Local resident Kathleen Bonniface said she was “very worried” by the proposals. She said: “I’m concerned the Garbole substation is in the Findhorn Valley, which is a very beautiful valley beloved by people interested in bird life and other wildlife.
“The substation is going to be a complete blot on the landscape. It’s a huge industrial installation in one of the most beautiful places in the area. This is being asked for in our area because of the proposed windfarms and there is a great deal of opposition to a number of windfarms proposed around Strathdearn.”
Chairwoman of Strath-dearn Community Council, Vivian Roden also attended the exhibition.
She said the community council objected to the plans and would prefer the larger substation to be built near the Farr substation, away from homes. She said: “We feel it’s really going to spoil the glen. Two of the main industries in this area are the shooting estates and the whisky distillery. We feel this is going to have an adverse effect on tourism and might put people off coming to the glen.”
She added: “There are a lot of people upset about this. I don’t know anyone that is for it.”
Project manager Andy McLaren said: “This is a very early stage of the consultation process. This is an idea which we are taking out for public feedback and this is the kind of feedback that we are looking for. We need to know what the concerns and issues are with what we are proposing at the moment so we can take it on board.”
He said he would consider the substation being located near Farr.
The exhibition will be on show at Culduthel Christian Centre in Inverness today and at Farr Community Hall the following day.
All exhibitions run from 3pm until 7pm.