Our Press Release - 31st March 2023
PRESS RELEASE IN RESPONSE TO SSEN STATEMENT - Friday 31st March 2023
Statement by Communities B4 Power Companies spokeswoman Lyndsey Ward:
SSEN’s claims* to be engaging in a ‘respectful and constructive manner’ with local communities have been rubbished by Lyndsey Ward, spokesman for Beauly-based Communities B4 Power Companies, one of many community groups opposing the power giant’s plans for a massive power development from the North and West coasts to Peterhead.
“SSEN has shown anything but the openness and inclusivity they claim,” she said. “It’s been quite clear to those of us dealing with them that they are going through the motions in conducting token consultations and have made up their minds already where they intend to put the lines. How respectful is that?”
Ms Ward said her claims are backed by those reporting back from an archaeology and heritage group meeting in Dingwall on 21st March with SSEN. It was clear that SSEN staff had little idea of the many historic sites along their corridor options. Delegates were told that SSEN plan to have decided on the main routes by mid-April and the exact placing of the towers within six to eight months and yet they only expect to ‘walk’ the route in the summer. It would appear that their catastrophic plans have been conducted from their desks.
Ms Ward has also been contacted by someone heavily impacted by SSEN plans. They said:
‘I had a call last week from a SSEN land manager, who despite having 'every sympathy with us', eventually admitted to me that the line will definitely go ahead, the route has been decided, and they were just 'tweaking' the final sites for the pylons. He had no answer to 'what's the point of a 'consultation?’
NB The call took place week beginning 20th March – over three weeks before the extended ‘consultation’ period ends.
The first residents in the Beauly area heard of the extent of plans for “industrialising their countryside” was on March 2nd at a statutory public meeting where they were told they would have only until 31st March to respond. “Thanks to an open letter from a cross-party group of our local councillors, this was extended a derisory two weeks. We had asked for a minimum of three months. We are asking our MSPs to join our calls for a longer period for those affected to examine the highly technical and potentially life changing information needed to make an informed response to SSEN. Perhaps SSEN would rather we didn’t do that”.
When SSEN were told at this meeting that where all their three corridor ‘options’ converge it would result in crossing over existing power lines their engineer confirmed that ‘they couldn’t do that’. How little research on the ground has actually been done? SSEN should have come out from behind their desks BEFORE they dumped their unacceptable proposals on our stunned communities.
“Let’s not forget we are talking three lines of mega-pylons descending on a new substation at Beauly the size of 35 football pitches at its smallest. In an unguarded moment, one SSEN spokesman told a shocked resident that Beauly would be like ‘Spaghetti Junction’”.
Ms Ward called SSEN’s claims of informing and listening to stakeholders “a very skimpy fig leaf on a mega pylon”. “During this absurdly short ‘consultation period’ we have been faced with inaccurate maps on their web site, ‘out-of-office’ and ‘away on annual leave’ replies to emails from community liaison staff. We find this air of wounded virtue exhibited by SSEN hard to swallow.”
Communities B4 Power Companies has called a public meeting in Kiltarlity Village Hall on Friday April 7th.
* In SSEN 28th March statement
Original SSEN Statement can be found here
