Stirling Council has responded to Scottish Power Transmissions Ltd (SPT) consultation on their Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme proposals, which are part of the new Beauly - Denny 440kv transmission line, approved by the Scottish Government earlier this year.

In a letter to SPT, Chair of the Council’s Beauly to Denny Powerline Steering Group, Councillor Callum Campbell, expresses the Council's 'disappointment' and calls SPT’s proposals 'a wholly inadequate response to the intention of the Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme, and doing little to address the mitigation of the power line and the concerns of the Council and the local communities of Stirling.'

Councillor Campbell emphasised that: "The Minister, in granting consent for the Beauly – Denny Power Line, made an exceptional point by including the Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme as a specific condition, recognising the requirement for effective mitigation of this section of the line. SPT have not addressed this conditional requirement. It is vital that there is effective mitigation to protect the residents, landscape and amenity of the Stirling Council area, and that underground of sections of the power line is the most appropriate solution to address visual, landscape and other impacts."

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Councillor Campbell also thanked the public for their participation contributions during SPT's recent consultation exercise, which clearly demonstrated the unanimous strength of feeling of the total inadequacy of the mitigation proposals, and he advised that all responses have been put to SPT and Scottish Government.

In preparing the response the Council took into account the views of the public, communities, interest groups and key stakeholder, along with the Council's technical appraisal of the proposed mitigation measures, and comments from the Council’s Elected Members.

In summary, the Council states in its response to SPT that: The proposals fail to ensure that the views of the local communities have been fully taken into account in the consideration and delivery of meaningful landscape and visual mitigation.

The Council and the public are extremely concerned that the mitigation proposed by SPT is unsatisfactory.

SPT have not provided a robust justification of their included and discounted proposals.

SPT have not provided an in-depth consideration and appreciation of the Stirling area with regard to landscape and visual attributes.

SPT have not developed for consideration a detailed mitigation scheme, which fully addresses comparable options for under grounding, or partial under grounding, tower resizing or re-routing.

The proposals amount to limited screen planting and limited tower painting. The Council believes this is insufficient mitigation.

The next stage of the process is for SPT to review their mitigation proposals in view of the consultation responses, and for SPT to submit their finalised Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation scheme to Scottish ministers for consideration.

Stirling Council will be providing a further response to Scottish Ministers as part of the formal consultation stage, which is expected early next year.

(GK)