Scottish Energy Minister, Jim Mather, who is also in charge of Tourism, has asked Scottish Power to consider previously unexplored options to limit the visual impact of the controversial planned Beauly to Denny power line in the area around Stirling. The Minister has given the Company, which has previously said it had ruled out burying the line around Sirling because of the cost, until June to come back with options.
This latest episode in the long-running saga means that final approval of the scheme will now take place after the Scottish elections in May. The Scottish Government had approved the mitigation measures for the rest of the line in October last year but had left out the consideration of the area around Stirling where the line of giant pylons will pass close to the Wallace Monument. The rest of the plans announced in October included short sections of buried cable near Beauly and Muthill and possibly some underground cables in the area near Boat of Garten.
At that time the John Muir Trust which has campaigned against the pylons, said: “This announcement merely raises questions as to why only a third of the line can potentially be put underground, while 600 giant pylons will still cut a swathe through the Highlands”.
The power line itself was approved by the Scottish Government in January 2010. Since then Scottish Power has come up with visual impact mitigation measures for the Stirling stretch which include painting the pylons dark colours and using landscaping to try and screen them. Stirling Councillors branded these plans, “wholly inadequate” saying they did nothing to address the concerns of the local communities. Responding to Mr Mather’s most recent announcement, Scottish Power have told the BBC it is seeking “clarity” of the Scottish Government’s position.