Line at Bertha Park in zone for new houses It also crosses land bought by PKC to build school
A power company has had to appeal to the Scottish Government to protect a transmission line which passes through a site where developers want to build up to 3000 new houses and Perth and Kinross Council has earmarked for a new secondary school.
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission PLC has asked the government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) to consider granting “necessary wayleave” for the Milnathort/Tealing/ Kintore 275kV Line at Bertha Park Farm for a period of 50 years after a local landowner asked for it to be removed.
The PA can reveal today that a Mr Ritchie, acting for and on behalf of landowners A Ritchie and Sons, wrote to Scottish Hydro in June last year requesting a section of the line, which according to documents published on the DPEA’s website is “situated on” and passes “over ground at Bertha Park Farm”, be pulled down.
In his letter, Mr Ritchie says the line also “crosses through the middle of land” where Elgin-based property developers Springfield Properties intends to build 3000 new homes. He goes on to say that the line, which Scottish Hydro describes in its appeal documents as “vital” to the network in the north of Scotland, is “sterilising a large corridor of prime development land.”
His letter reads: “I write to you regarding the transmission line that crosses our land.
“The transmission line crosses through the middle of the land which has recently been consented for the creation of a settlement including 3000 houses, business, industrial and mixed land uses.
“Detailed planning permission for Phase 1 has now been granted.
“I write to request that the overhead line is removed from our land as it is sterilising a large corridor of prime development land and is reducing the value of the adjacent land.”
Other documents published on the DPEA’s website reveal the line also crosses a “very small section” of land Perth and Kinross Council recently bought from A Ritchie and Sons to build a new secondary school at Bertha Park.
In its application for “necessary wayleave” in light of A Ritchie and Sons request to remove the line, John Hillis of Scottish Hydro states: “The Notice to Remove was submitted by A Ritchie & Sons vision of some of the potential new homes A
on June 23, 2016.
“At that time, they owned the land upon which Tower 150 is situated. On August 1 [2016] they sold that land to PKC.”
Mr Hillis goes on to state in his application that Scottish Hydro “require[s] the overhead electricity line to remain in its present situation” and “would seek a necessary wayleave of a minimum of 50 years duration”.
“The overhead line forms part of the transmission network and its retention is vital to the continued economic and efficient operation of the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland,” he says.
Scottish Hydro’s appeal is currently waiting to be allocated to a reporter, but it might not need to be settled by the Scottish Government as correspondence published online shows PKC has already indicated it is willing to grant “voluntary wayleave”.
And in an email to the DPEA, Mr Hillis has said he has a meeting with “the other necessary wayleave landowner w/c January 23.”
“It is looking positive for withdrawing this application,” he says. “As soon as we have a signed wayleave I will write to withdraw the application.”