Controversial Scottish pylon project gets the go-ahead

Scottish Enterprise Minister John Mather has revealed that the country's controversial new power line, which inspired more than 18,000 complaints and lead to Scotland’s longest running public inquiry, will be given the go-ahead for construction to begin later this year.

600 new pylons will be erected along a line spanning 220 kilometres from Beauly, west of Inverness, to Denny, near Falkirk.

Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said that the decision was “precisely the kind of positive action the government must take to create the right environment for business to flourish and represented a huge step forward for investment in renewable energy resources.”

The pylons will connect renewable energy projects to the national grid in an attempt to increase Scotland’s overall renewable energy percentage from 20.1 in 2007 to 50 by 2020.

The John Muir Trust (JMT), a prominent conservation charity, quickly levelled a threat of court involvement to stop the development.

Helen McDade, JMT's head of policy, said: "Marching a mega-pylon line through some of our most world-renowned landscapes may be the most lucrative option for the energy industry but it is the wrong choice for Scotland."

Much opposition stems from the route the pylons will take through Cairngorm National Park. The giant pylons, some reaching over 60 metres, will run directly through the national heritage site.

Mr Mather claimed he did not have the power to re-route the cables underground and that it is “up to the power companies” to take action over the visual impact of the line.

John Mayhew, director of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, called it “the most disappointing planning decision in Scotland for many years."

The two power companies behind the scheme, Scottish & Southern Energy and ScottishPower, have already put forward plans for construction to begin in summer.