Proposals to develop new overhead power lines in Dumfries and Galloway are to be considered by the council.

The SPEN Strategic Reinforcement Project, put forward by Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN), plans to build power lines from Ayrshire, through Dumfries and Galloway and beyond, into Cumbria, and from Kendoon, through Glenlee to Tongland.

The scheme also includes removing approximately 130km of existing tower lines from the region, allowing for the replacement of some of the existing ageing infrastructure and increased capacity.

The projects details are still to be worked on by SPEN over the next three years following a public consultation earlier this year.

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The council's Economy, Environment and Infrastructure Committee (EEI) will consider the plan on 10 November.

Chair of the EEI, Councillor Colin Smyth, said: "It will ultimately be the Scottish Government's decision as to whether this project goes ahead and the Council are only statutory consultees for the final stage around 2019. However, the report before Councillors on 10 November proposes that the Council, through the Planning Applications Committee, takes part in the consultation process at stage 2 and stage 3 on the proposed route and design and feeds in our view prior to SPEN making a submission to Scottish Government. The advantage of this is that SPEN will know well in advance any issues Councillors have before they submit their final application to the Scottish Government."

"Whilst it will be up to Councillors on the Committee to decide whether they wish to pursue that process, this is an unprecedented project on a scale we have never seen before in our region and I think it is only right that the Council should at the very least make everyone aware of our views as early as possible."

(LM/CD)