Latest inquiry into power proposals spark fresh furore
Residents hit out at refusal to air health-risk evidence
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THERE were fresh claims of a governmental whitewash yesterday, as the latest public local inquiry got under way into proposals for massive expansion within the Highlands’ electricity industry.
A joint hearing into plans for extending the Wester Balblair sub-station near Beauly and appeal by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) against Highland councillors’ rejection of the proposal was overshadowed by local fury about procedure.
Protests continued over the Scottish Government’s rejection of key scientific evidence which attempted to warn of potentially lethal health risks from an expanding Beauly facility.
Many observers complained yesterday, as others did during last year’s linked inquiry into SSE’s Beauly-Denny pylon-line proposals, that it was impossible to follow the proceedings because hours of complex debate focussed on maps and documents to which they had no access.
They took out their wrath personally at the government representative overseeing proceedings, inquiry reporter Richard Dent, who refused to air biologist Roger Coghill’s evidence on the basis that health matters were dealt with at the Beauly-Denny hearings.
Alleging that SSE convinced him to make the ruling, protesters left strategically placed placards at the entrance to yesterday’s inquiry venue, the Lovat Arms Hotel at Beauly, stating: “Mr Dent bent to SSE” and “SSE gagged health expert”.
A number of local residents attending the opening session of the four-day hearing complained about the absence of a system to openly display the photographs and diagrams along with the lack of any official verbatim record being kept of the inquiry.
There was also frustration at the lack of a timetable to allow witnesses notice of when they would be required to attend and about the absence of any website provision to view relevant documents.
Cameron Gibson, of Hughton, Kiltarlity, said: “It’s known there are (cancer) clusters around transformers near houses and they (SSE) are talking about adding and adding to it.”
Echoing fellow residents’ concerns, local Highland councillor Helen Carmichael said it was time to legislate to ensure a projection facility was provided at future inquiries and for all such proceedings to be properly recorded.
Despite objectors’ claims that the health issues discussed at the Beauly-Denny inquiry were not specific to Beauly, the Scottish Government insisted the matter was dealt with last year and that Mr Coghill’s submission “repeats evidence given to the strategy session of the Beauly-Denny inquiry”.
SSE will this week try to convince councillors and government ministers that expanding the 50-year-old sub-station is essential to accommodate future green energy production.
