Court fight looms after pylons go-ahead

Enterprise minister Jim Mather yesterday announced that the 137-mile line between Beauly near Inverness and Denny near Stirling can be constructed.

But his announcement quickly brought the threat from one prominent conservation charity – the John Muir Trust (JMT) – that it would go to court to stop the development.

Helen McDade, JMT's head of policy, said: "Marching a mega-pylon line through some of our most world-renowned landscapes may be the most lucrative option for the energy industry but it is the wrong choice for Scotland."

John Mayhew, director of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS), added that it was "the most disappointing planning decision in Scotland for many years".

Privately, the two power companies behind the scheme – Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and ScottishPower – believe they have everything in place and calculate that work could begin in the summer.

Scotland's longest and most expensive inquiry

The developers have received permission for their plan for 600 giant new pylons, up to 217ft tall, which critics believe will ruin the landscape in areas of natural heritage such as the Cairngorms National Park.

Mr Mather claimed that he did not have the power to reroute the cable underground.

He has included conditions that "visual impact mitigation" measures must be included at eight sites.

However, he refused to specify what these safeguards might be and said it was "up to the power companies", which must consult with interested parties and then finalise solutions with the Scottish Government.

The measures could mean using trees and hedges or geographical features to help hide the pylons and wires, far short of what was being demanded by rural campaign groups. In some areas, this will mean cutting the number of wires feeding the main line.

Mr Mather immediately came under fire for his "vagueness" from political opponents who raised concerns this may further delay a project which has already taken eight years to process.

Although plans were not submitted until 2005, the scheme has been through the longest planning inquiry in Scottish history, with the recommendation sitting on Mr Mather's desk for a year.

There were concerns that the conditions may still lead to a need for further planning applications, causing extra delay.

If construction starts in the summer, the line will still take four years to complete with another year added on to remove the old power line it is replacing.

Labour energy spokesman Lewis Macdonald described the statement as "confused and chaotic" while Liberal Democrat spokesman Liam MacArthur said it was "shambolic".

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Murdo Fraser added: "All we are left with today is a fog of confusion."

The decision has been welcomed by many climate-change activists and business groups who see the project as essential to develop Scotland's renewable energy potential from wind and wave power in the north of Scotland.

Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said the decision meant Scotland should now up its renewables ambition and push on to achieve the Scottish Government's intention to "decarbonise" the country's electricity supply by 2030.

Willie Roe, chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said the power line paved the way for the region to capitalise on its place as the renewable-energy "engine room" of Europe.

Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said the go-ahead was precisely the kind of positive action the government must take to create the right environment for business to flourish, and represented a huge step forward for investment in renewable energy resources.

The power companies said that they would need time to check through the details of the announcement before being able to put a firm timescale on how the project will progress, but welcomed the decision.

Colin Hood, chief operating officer of SSE, said: "

We hope to be in a position to get construction under way this summer and we will implement a programme of meetings and events in order to inform landowners, local communities and statutory bodies about our construction timetable."

Frank Mitchell, director of ScottishPower Energy Networks, added: "We are pleased that the Scottish Government has approved the upgrade. We will now carefully consider the details of the consent document."

Power line ruling creates confusion

FAR from settling matters, yesterday's ministerial statement giving the go-ahead for the Beauly-Denny power line with unspecified conditions has left muddle and confusion. Enterprise minister Jim Mather may take comfort from the fact that he has pleased the business lobby and the power companies who have been granted all they wanted. But there is little assurance for the 18,000 objectors over their concerns.

The proposed line has been opposed by the four planning authorities – Highland, Stirling, Falkirk and Perth and Kinross councils – as well as the Cairngorms National Park and Clackmannanshire Council. The Beauly Denny Landscape Group, which includes the John Muir Trust, the National Trust for Scotland and Ramblers Association Scotland have all protested at the environmental damage the giant pylons will inflict.

Mr Mather admitted that the administration has no power to insist that any of the line goes underground as many have urged. It is now left to the developers to come up with "visual impact mitigation" at eight sites. Since the developers insist that the proposed pipeline does not go through any National Scenic Areas as defined by Scottish Natural Heritage and that the line is a "brownfield" development replacing an existing line, the objectors will not be at all comforted by the way matters have been left. Barring early assurances from the power companies, the objectors have cause to feel they have been treated most shoddily indeed.