Article: Shenval Under Seige?
Tiny hamlet outcry forces rethink on work camp
Inverness Courier: By Val Sweeney
Published: 16 July, 2010
AN energy giant is being forced to rethink plans to site a large industrial compound and camp in a scenic Inverness-shire hamlet for the construction of the Beauly to Denny power line.
Scottish and Southern Energy is holding urgent discussions with community representatives after proposals for the complex - which would act as a hub for the northern section of the project - ran into fierce opposition.
The proposed site is in Shenval which lies midway between Drumnadrochit and Cannich in Glenurquhart, a gateway to Glen Affric and regarded as being of outstanding natural beauty.
It is understood applications for work camps near Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston are also being prepared in connection with the Beauly-Denny project.
But alarmed Shenval residents fear the area's tranquility will be shattered by constant movement of heavy goods vehicles and also cite concerns over the potential threat to wildlife, road safety issues, Sunday working, noise and visual impact.
Following a public meeting this week, SSE promised to seek potential alternative locations, although the planning application for the Shenval site still remains lodged with Highland Council.
The proposed temporary complex features an open working and storage area, parking for heavy goods vehicles and construction-related traffic, an office block, and up to 25 caravans to house workers. It will be used to distribute construction materials further up the line as well as assembling materials from the dismantled line for onward transport to recycling sites.
But one Shenval objector, Cheryl Hopkins, said many residents felt there had been a lack of consultation. "We feel it is a fait accompli and is being foisted upon us," she commented.
"This is temporary for five years. That is a long time.
"It is not a case of it being in our back garden - it is just doesn't seem to have been thought out."
There are concerns about the impact on the glen's small tourism businesses.
"This is going to be a huge eyesore and yet this is the main tourist route into Glen Affric," Miss Hopkins pointed out.
Pierre Lebrun, who runs an organic bed and breakfast business with his wife, Christiane, is equally concerned.
He queries the impact on the area's wildlife, pointing out species such as pine martens, badgers and eels, for example, are to be found nearby and also disputes the brownfield designation of the location. "It is a greenfield site," he insisted.
"It has always been used for agricultural or forestry operations," he said.
The location is close to a junction on the A831 and across from a bus stop, prompting concerns for the safety of the hamlet's 10 school children.
Another resident, Steve MacGregor, intends to lodge his objections. "It sounds like an industrial site close to a hamlet in a nice rural area," he said.
"They are proposing seven-day-a-week working for some years. There is a strong feeling among many people about the issue of Sunday working."
David Fraser, the chairman of Glenurquhart Community Council, said he had spoken to SSE which had promised to work with Councillor Margaret Davidson (Aird and Loch Ness) to see if there were other suitable sites further up the glen. SSE had also pledged to look at concerns raised, if the existing application went ahead.
"If people have concerns about the application as it stands, they should make those known to the planning department," Mr Fraser said.
The application for the compound has been submitted by Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, the main contractor for the Beauly Denny 400kV overhead power line which was approved by the Scottish Government earlier this year following an 11-month public inquiry.
A spokeswoman for SSE said 30 questions regarding the camp site had been raised at this week's meeting. "It is our intention to come back and answer these in the next few weeks," she said.
"We understand the community is not behind the proposed site and, following discussions, we are looking to identify further sites.
"We want to find the best site for ourselves and the community and this is why we will continue to involve the community in our search for an appropriate site."
In January the Government approved the £400 million upgrade of transmission lines between Beauly and Denny, near Falkirk, overcoming some 18,000 objections.
The news came as a relief of the country's renewable energy industry.
The government said it would open up transmission capacity to more than 50 potential wind, wave and tidal projects in the north of Scotland.
published on: 16/07/2010