Public meeting to be held in Dunbeath over controversial pylon plans
Concerns over the controversial plans for an overhead power line between Caithness and Inverness-shire will be set out at a public meeting in Dunbeath next week.
A local campaign group, Dunbeath/Berriedale Community Say NO to Pylons, warns that the scheme proposed by SSEN Transmission will cause "irreparable" damage to landscapes.
The company has faced a backlash from Highland communities over its plans for a 400kV line between Spittal in Caithness, Loch Buidhe in Sutherland and Beauly in Inverness-shire which include new substations at each location.
The public meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 19, starting at 7pm, in Dunbeath community hall.
Group secretary Lynn Parker said: "We have been very busy inviting the public to attend, as this fight is of great importance to us.
"We feel very strongly about the detrimental effect it will have on Caithness and Sutherland and the Highlands as a whole. The damage will be irreparable."
She added: "To date, SSEN Transmission has provided no evidence as to why this infrastructure is needed. If this goes ahead, it will open the door for many more projects."
Representatives from the campaign group Communities B4 Power Companies (CB4PC) will speak at the meeting. CB4PC was formed "to stop this annihilation of our environment by a wealthy multinational".
Berriedale and Dunbeath Community Council chairman Angus MacInnes said: "Berriedale and Dunbeath Community Council would like to extend a welcome to the public from across Caithness, as well as our elected representatives.
"The public will have an opportunity to ask questions and express their opinion."
SSEN Transmission has said the project is "part of a GB-wide programme of works that are required to meet UK and Scottish Government 2030 renewable targets".