Balfour Beatty, the principal contractor for the Skye Reinforcement Project, has submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to The Highland Council. The PAN outlines the development area for a temporary worker accommodation village near Ashaig, east of Broadford, which will house workers involved in the project.

The Skye Reinforcement Project, currently under consideration by Scottish Ministers, aims to replace the existing overhead line from Skye to Fort Augustus nearing the end of its operational life. This project is crucial for ensuring secure electricity supply in the area and supports national clean power and energy security ambitions.

The PAN boundary encompasses the full development area, including all necessary site requirements such as site compounds, drainage, access roads, parking, laydown and storage areas for materials, and landscaping.

This submission precedes Balfour Beatty's full planning application for the development, expected in the coming months.

Balfour Beatty has notified nearby residents of the PAN submission and will hold public consultation events, where teams from Balfour Beatty and SSEN Transmission will be on hand to discuss the proposals, on:

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• Monday, 24 February (Kyleakin Village Hall 5.30-8.30pm)

• Tuesday, 25 February (Broadford Village Hall 11am-3pm)

Margaret Clark, Senior Project Manager from Balfour Beatty, said: "We are keen to hear from the local community regarding our plans for temporary worker accommodation on Skye, and our consultation events will provide an opportunity for people to find out more about the project. We are committed to being a good neighbour and want to ensure we get the balance right as we develop this important project."

Simon Robertson, SSEN Transmission's Lead Project Manager for the Skye Reinforcement Project, added: "The proposed temporary accommodation village, one of two planned on the island, will help our contractor meet their accommodation needs while ensuring they minimise any impact on the local housing supply.

"Essential services located on-site will mitigate any potential burden on local health services and infrastructure, including hotel spaces that may be used by visitors, which we recognise are vital to the island's economy.

"Alongside Balfour Beatty we will engage with the relevant Community Councils to discuss these developments and seek to address concerns that may arise, especially acknowledging the potential cumulative impact of this second proposed accommodation village near Broadford.

"We are also actively exploring several opportunities to contribute to the delivery of permanent housing to support the delivery of the project, which will then support local housing needs. This is part of our wider housing strategy supporting the delivery of over 1,000 new homes across the north of Scotland.

"The Skye Reinforcement Project is essential to securing security of supply for the area, and comes as part of our £20bn investment to upgrade the transmission network, creating huge economic opportunity for the north of Scotland while supporting national clean power and energy security ambitions.

"With our Section 37 application for the overhead line now submitted, we look forward to its timely determination by the Scottish Government."