Blog: Park protest
By admin. Filed in shoes |
SSE said the upgraded line would ship renewable energy to the south.
The company does not believe that a current 132kV line is sufficient to feed power from the growing number of wind and hydro energy sites in the Highlands and Islands
to the National Grid.
It has proposed an upgraded line with about 600 pylons, some up to 213ft high.
The company said that overall there would be 200 fewer pylons than on the existing transmission line, but that they would be bigger.
The proposals have already been attacked by the Ramblers Association in Scotland, which claimed they would be “disastrous”.
Part of the proposed line will run through the Cairngorms National Park, which is one of the areas where the route has sparked most protest.
Campaign group Cairngorms Revolt Against Pylons called for a local public inquiry following the application.
The group has warned that the move would totally contradict the park’s central aims, as well as undermining Scotland’s reputation for wild landscapes.
Jo Cumming, chair of the campaign group, said: “We are disappointed that SNH has not asked for a strategic environmental assessment which would take into account all
the energy requirements across Scotland, the broad range of renewable energy options and energy conservation.
“What will the Cairngorms National Park and Scotland as a whole look like in five to 10 years’ time?
“If even a few of the proposed plans for wind farms go ahead the CNP and Scotland will be a wirescape.”
However, SNH concluded that many concerns are likely to be addressed through provision of further information or the application of planning conditions.
