Campaigners who fought plans for a controversial electricity substation near the River Findhorn have welcomed a “compromise” new location.
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (Shet) want to build a new substation near Tomatin, as well as power lines linking it with the massive Knocknagael substation near Inverness.
Initial plans showed showed the substation at Garbole, close to the River Findhorn, prompting a robust protest by locals.
Shet have now agreed to move their planned facility to another location south of Farr Wood.
Pat Wells, co-ordinator of the Save Strathdearn campaign said: “We have a compromise between Shet and what the campaign called for.
“If the project proceeds along the lines indicated at the July drop-in session it will be a considerable improvement on the awful plan presented by Shet 18 months ago. This showed a large substation in the heart of the upper Findhorn Valley at Garbole, with construction traffic access through Tomatin village and along the scenic glen road and a 275kV powerline on huge pylons ruining the view from the west side of the popular Garbole to Farr road.”
“I’m glad we started the campaign to Save Strathdearn.
“Shet listened to the cries of protest from the local community and visitors from across the UK and overseas – for whom the glen is a very special place to be protected from industrial-scale development such as a large electricity substation.”
Earlier this week, Shet project manager Stephen McCall said: “We have taken into account the feedback which suggested it would be pretty disastrous to put it where we originally wanted it.”
A planning application for the substation and overhead lines will be submitted to Highland Council in September.
A separate application for grid connections upgrades will likely be submitted to the Scottish Government in September 2016.