Power firm’s attitude over Tarbert pylons under fire
A power company’s refusal to revisit controversial plans to site huge pylons close to Tarbert has been slammed at a community council meeting.
The attitude of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) was compared – unfavourably – by Tarbert and Skipness Community Council convener David McBride to the approach taken by wind energy developers and Scottish Water.
Tarbert residents were left angry and frustrated when they discovered that SSEN had changed the intended pylon route across the isthmus between West Loch Tarbert and Loch Fyne.
The route submitted to Scottish Ministers for planning consent was amended in 2017 from that originally proposed, taking a dog-leg from the golf course to take it nearer Tarbert village.
SSEN maintains that it informed the community of the new route in advance – but people claim the information available was inadequate.
Speaking at a community council meeting in November 2019, SSEN environmental project manager Paul McQuillan said: ‘We set out the reasoning for our chosen route in the 2017 consultation document.
‘We still think this alignment is the best one in view of the balance of constraints.’
SSEN considered three possible routes, taking into account the topography, proximity to homes, land zoned for development and environmental issues.
The half a dozen or so towers proposed to run close to Tarbert are part of a project to upgrade the electricity transmission network and build a higher capacity 275 kV overhead line for 50 miles between Inveraray and Crossaig.
The primary concern of residents is that at least three of these towers, up to 62 metres (203 feet) high, would puncture the skyline from the harbour and Tarbert Castle.
At November’s meeting, Mr McQuillan also said: ‘There were a number of times we could have had responses,’ he said.
‘The community has come to us quite late, after we had the consent.’
He maintained: ‘We’ve chosen the right route.’
Planting trees
SSEN proposes planting trees to mitigate the towers’ appearance, but community councillors are sceptical.
Quoting forestry experts, Mr McBride said that not only would the trees take several years to grow, but the type of ground would not allow them to grow sufficiently tall to screen the impact.
Tarbert and Skipness Community Council has written to SSEN to make a final appeal for a change to the route, which may involve an amendment to Scottish Government consent.
‘We are asking for a realignment to something it had already been considered feasible,’ said Mr McBride. ‘If it won’t budge, we’ll go down the road of a judicial review.
He added: ‘Wind farm companies give very good information, but this is tantamount to a wind farm developer suddenly moving turbines to the Tarbert skyline without consulting with us.’
With Scottish Water about to begin work on an upgraded sewer system in the village, Mr McBride added: ‘Scottish Water has listened to our concerns, and that is is the difference between its approach and that of SSEN over the pylons.’