AFTER some three years of plans, public meetings, promotions and protests, the most impactful north-east Scotland electricity project in generations - the Spittal-Beauly 400kV overhead line - is set for official consideration and then go ahead.

But Highland community councillors, campaigners and local people are far from lying low with the prospect of huge pylons across their horizon to connect an ever-growing forest of wind farms.

The Ross-shire village of Contin is historically more familiar with trekkers, cyclists and tourists interested in the surrounding wildlife, loch and forest vistas than activists.

However, last Friday evening saw dozens of local people make their feelings known as the deadline neared on Sunday to object to the SSEN proposal for the 60- to 70-metre high pylons that would pass nearby if the scheme goes ahead. In particular, objections that will be considered by the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit (and ultimately ministers) were voiced jointly by several community councils in the area, citing a lack of a strategic energy framework and calling for a planning inquiry commission.

While accepting that major changes in energy generation and transmission were required to meet climate targets, the objection from Contin, Strathpeffer, Marybank, Scatwell and Strathconon councillors says: "This is the biggest proposed change for our area since the hydroelectric schemes were built some 70 years ago.

"[These] brought the advantages of electricity for the first time, but the electricity infrastructure development now proposed appears to promise nothing more than disruption and destruction - there is no lasting benefit for us."

Other objectors to the Spittal-Beauly submission revealed at the Contin meeting, held after earlier postponement due to the severity of Storm Amy, were established bodies Historic Environment Scotland, NatureScot and the Scottish Environment Agency, along with non-government organisations.

Contin Town Hall organisers called on residents to make their voices heard before the deadline. Dan Bailey of campaign group Better Cable Route (Strathpeffer & Contin), said: "From heritage and nature to the tourism economy and property values, the Spittal-Beauly project will have an immense and permanent negative impact on our region."

A number of attendees indicated that they would personally object.

Energy powerhouse SSEN Transmission is at the centre of this "Highland lament" and recently produced a book amplifying the foresight of earlier pioneers of the Highland Grid that set standards of electricity there and across the UK for more than a century, also with attendant critics.

SSEN has since pointed to development of a UK Government strategic energy plan expected in 2027 with a comprehensive overview to 2050 as it counters the argument of "lack of a strategic energy framework".

Also mentioned from a letter by Scottish Renewables last August was a move to rationalise the queue of projects with a "pause" on new energy connections except those projects required to meet the "clean power 2030" mission.

An SSEN spokesperson meanwhile contended that submission of its consent application for the Spittal-Beauly 400kV overhead line project "marks a key milestone in delivering UK and Scottish Government energy targets, unlocking the homegrown low-carbon electricity generation required to help deliver a cleaner, more secure and affordable electricity system for current and future generations".

The energy company also claimed the more than 160 events it has undertaken since 2022 comprise "one of the most extensive public consultations the north of Scotland has ever seen".

Such comments have left many community council representatives and others unimpressed. Ron McAulay, chairman of Strathpeffer Community Council, said before attending the Contin meeting: "I would not describe SSEN's events as consultation events. I would describe them as information events. Our case offering alternative options has just been ignored."

The complexity of documentation involved in SSEN's Spittal-Beauly final application - described by the company as being to the highest professional standards - has also been criticised and indeed led to the meeting in Contin in the first place, with the aim of explaining what was planned.

One of the organisers, Helen Smith, said that the application comprised about 660 documents including hard-to-read maps, jargon and technical terms, worked through by local volunteers.

"Despite these challenges we managed to pull out information on what we think are the key impacts for our area," she said.

Organisers prepared a slide presentation stating that community councils were given just 32 days to prepare a response to the SSEN application with no mechanism to seek community consensus, concluding that neither pylons nor wind turbines would, in themselves, result in cheaper electricity.

Furthermore, an expected four years of construction on pylons across the 173km line would see increased traffic including many heavy goods vehicles, road closures, noise, pollution as well as restricted access to paths and tracks.

Somewhat ironically, the slide presentation mentioned potential benefits from the pylon scheme including energy bill discounts for houses nearest the overhead lines, funding for communities hosting the links, improvement of cycle networks and trails and temporary increased returns for local services such as shops and cafes - while SSEN and wind farm operators would "make a lot of money".

By contrast, potential "dis-benefits" included no offer of reduced electricity bills for other households across the area, possible reduction in property values or sales and losses for local tourism businesses, while community benefit money promised by SSEN has yet to be guaranteed by the Scottish Government.

The Contin meeting also covered the proposed underground SSEN Western Isles HVDC link to be built during the same period. This will require no planning consent and run close to the Spittal-Beauly line.

According to Smith. "This is going to have a big impact on the [nearby] Loch Kinellan area with a large compound comprising offices, stores, toilets and car parking for 100 vehicles and a new access road."

Bailey expected the Highland Council, as statutory consultee to "get to grips" with the plan while residents of small village Dundonnell discovered that their "lifeline road" would be closed for extended periods.

For its part, SSEN said: "We will continue to engage with communities on our proposals, and intend to hold an additional information event in Contin later this year, where people will have the opportunity to speak with the project team about our plans to establish a temporary construction compound at Kinellan, along with other elements of the project."

While SSEN was not invited to the Contin meeting, attendees were unhappy with the absence of invited MPs, MSPs and Highland councillors, with several saying they would write to their representatives for an explanation.

A spokesman for Climate Action and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: "In line with the Ministerial Code, it would be inappropriate for a minister to comment on live or forthcoming planning applications."

Among those who said they had prior engagements was Maree Todd, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross. She commented: "I appreciate the strength of feeling in many communities relating to these plans.

"From the very beginning, I have engaged closely with the impacted communities and raised their concerns directly with both the Scottish and UK governments and SSEN.

"Most recently, I wrote to Gillian Martin following concerns raised by constituents about the Energy Consent Units one-month consultation period. I asked the Cabinet Secretary to consider extending the deadline so that communities have time to prepare and provide considered responses to this significant project."

With no extended deadline, campaigners will be hoping their plea for a planning inquiry commission will be heard and acted upon as ministers and Highland councillors are faced with numerous objections.

Bailey was focused on the Spittal-Beauly project. He said: "This pylon line is all pain and no gain for our area, enriching international shareholders at our expense. The energy it carries won't be needed or used in Scotland."

He said the turnout in Contin showed people are determined to have a meaningful say. "We're not going quiet and we're not rolling over," Bailey added: "The Scottish Government needs to wake up to the harm their ill-conceived energy policy is doing to the north of Scotland. And the Highland Council should now object to the Spittal-Beauly line on behalf of the people and communities they represent."

Meanwhile, the push for developing Highland wind farms and transmission lines continues apace, joined by Chinese energy company Ming Yang's recently reported plan for the UK's largest wind turbine manufacturing facility in the small former Highland fishing village of Ardersier.

Could the Scottish Highlands become a world-leading renewable energy centre, like it or not?

Highland residents' fight goes on as pylons plan moves forward