More than 4,500 objections have been lodged against plans for a 70-mile pylon development that campaigners warn would scar the countryside and destroy prime farmland, as the consultation on the proposals closes next week.
The project, proposed by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission, would see two new substations and a chain of 190ft pylons built between Kintore in Aberdeenshire and Tealing in Angus.
It forms part of a wider £22 billion investment in Scotland’s energy network and has sparked widespread concern among rural communities.
In objections submitted to the Scottish government’s Energy Consents Unit, residents have voiced alarm over the potential blight on the landscape, the devaluation of properties, the loss of farmland, and possible impacts on health.
Aberdeenshire councillor Tracey Smith, co-founder of the Save Our Mearns campaign group, said the scale of opposition reflects deep frustration across rural areas.
“The thousands of objections highlight the level of frustration and distress in our communities at SSEN and the Scottish government’s quest to run roughshod over their concerns,” she said.
“We want to send a clear message that we do not accept the tsunami of industrial infrastructure planned for our doorstep.”
Ms Smith chaired a meeting of more than 100 residents and 38 community councils amid growing fears that local voices are being ignored in the planning process.
She has called for all new renewable energy applications to be paused until the government publishes a coherent energy strategy.
“From homes being devalued and the impact on people’s health, to the loss of prime agricultural land and the monstrous blight on our landscape, these proposals must be stopped,” she added.
“The Scottish government must listen to these objections, stop treating rural communities with contempt and end these attempts to ruin our precious countryside.”
Scottish Conservative MSP Alexander Burnett, who represents Aberdeenshire West — one of the areas most affected by new energy infrastructure plans — said the wave of objections highlights “the fear and misery” caused by the project.
“This unjust energy transition risks harming vast swathes of my constituents who are being ignored by both SSEN and the Scottish government,” he said.
“The SNP’s energy strategy, already three years late, must be published immediately and they need to rethink their misguided policy of scrapping local planning inquiries.”
Mr Burnett said he would continue to press the issue in Holyrood. “I will continue to raise this in parliament as a voice to protect our beautiful landscape, and the livelihoods of residents who face living in the shadow of overdevelopment,” he added.
In response, SSEN Transmission said the proposed Kintore–Tealing project is essential to support Scotland’s transition to renewable energy and ensure the country meets its net-zero targets.
The consultation on the 70-mile pylon route soon closes, with campaigners urging the public to submit final objections before the deadline.
