Works planned for Loch Tummel
Have your say on planned landscaping
Members of the public are being invited to have their say on plans to landscape a Highland Perthshire loch.
Perth-based Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is hoping to landscape the picturesque Loch Tummel in a bid to make the area more visually appealing.
This comes after the electricity and gas regulator Ofgem administered a £500 million fund from electricity transmission owners across the UK to improve the impact their existing infrastructure has on the natural environment.
The fund is designed for infrastructure inside national parks and scenic areas, which is why SSEN is to use this fund to landscape Loch Tummel.
SSEN will be painting its electrical towers in the loch to make sure it blends in better with the landscape as part of the landscaping works.
The beauty spot is popular with tourists throughout the year, as it is well-known for its Queen’s View, named after Queen Victoria who was a fan of the Highland Perthshire loch.
Ahead of the landscaping, SSEN will hold a drop-in information event at Pitlochry Dam visitor centre on Friday, July 27 from 2pm until 5pm.
At the Armoury Road centre, members of the public will be able to learn more about the landscaping works, and share feedback on the plans.
Euan Smith, who is leading the project, which is called VISTA, said: “VISTA offers a unique opportunity to look again at our existing transmission assets and mitigate their impact in some of Scotland’s most precious landscapes.
SSEN will carry out the works to Loch Tummel
“Over the last two years we have worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders to identify potential schemes to take forward and we are pleased to confirm we will shortly be submitting our first funding application to our regulatory for our Loch Tummel VISTA scheme.
“We would encourage anyone with an interest in the proposal to come along to find out more about our plans.”
SSEN has also said it plans to carry out similar proposals on Loch Rannoch later this year with the funding from Ofgem.