‘Why here?’ Caithness riding school family warn Banniskirk Hub will have ‘enormous’ impact
The owners of a riding school in rural Caithness have warned of the “enormous” impact a village-sized substation will have if it goes ahead.
The Bain family are worried that their long-established business, Achalone Activities, will suffer as a direct result of the proposed Banniskirk Hub and they want to know: “Why build such a massive infrastructure project right in the middle of where people live?”
SSEN Transmission submitted a planning application to Highland Council last month for a 400kV substation and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station.
Banniskirk Hub will connect to the controversial proposed 400kV overhead line between Spittal and Beauly, and to the existing Spittal 275kV substation. It will include a new outdoor 400kV air insulated switchgear (AIS) substation and an HVDC converter station that will help transport offshore renewable energy to “demand centres” throughout the UK.
Alasdair and Marion Bain have been operating Achalone Activities for 35 years. They provide riding lessons, trekking and hacking and currently have 24 horses.
Their land extends to approximately 85 acres, directly across from the Banniskirk Hub site which is adjacent to the A9.
Others who are against the development have claimed that it will bring “massive construction upheaval for decades” and “an unprecedented degree of industrialisation in the heart of Caithness”.
The Bains’ major concerns include a potential flooding risk and devaluation of property, as well as the negative impact on their business during the construction phase and beyond.
“It’s the size of Halkirk, basically,” Alasdair (79) said. “They’re going to take all that land and dig it all up and make it a building site.
“Nearly all the water goes through our ground and at the moment it’s just coping with it and no more, because it’s an ancient waterway.
“So flooding could be a real problem. All that water is going to come down here.
“That is one thing that is going to happen, and then on the other side of us there’s going to be a huge battery storage facility [linked to the proposed West of Orkney offshore wind farm], so we’re cushioned between the two.
“The activity of that is going to be enormous, and this one here [Banniskirk Hub] is coming out on the busiest road in the county, the A9.”
Marion (71) pointed out: “We ride up the field right opposite where it’s going to be.”
The couple believe many people in Caithness have no idea of the scale of the project. “There will be a hoo-ha once it starts, but then it’s too late,” Alasdair said.
Their son Calum (39) warned: “It’s arguably too late now. Like many of the infrastructure projects, they are deliberately opaque to start off with and then it is sprung upon the people.
“Why there? Why build such a massive infrastructure project right in the middle of where people live, when we live in a country and a county with huge spaces that are not populated?
“They’ve chosen to put it right in the middle and they’ll bulldoze it through. Even though there’s a consultation, they’ve decided it’s going there.”
The planning application was received and validated on November 21 and consultation is open until January 9. Halkirk and District Community Council has requested an extension to the consultation period, given the size of the development and its timing over the festive season.
Calum pointed out: “It seems a very convenient time, to put it immediately after Christmas so that people can’t coalesce and put something together with the same effort as if it was in March or something.”
Calum, a university lecturer and researcher, added: “In the north of Scotland we’re making the sacrifices, or facing the consequences, of these projects and actually paying the most for the energy.
“You can be a supporter of reaching net-zero and the transition to renewables, and object to projects that are situated in the wrong places.
“You can say, ‘I think we should be moving to renewables but there should be an infrastructure plan that positions these things in appropriate areas.’ And that doesn’t seem appropriate – right in the middle of where people are living, with a business next door.
“One of the principal things, I think, is safety – the safety of having a site over there with a business next door that involves people on horses that respond to noises by bolting.
“It would take one event and the reputational damage would probably end the business – if something happened, somebody fell off and it was a serious accident, that would go round the county.”
Documents submitted as part of the application show a site boundary amounting to 89.4 hectares. In a project overview, SSEN Transmission stated that most of the site comprises rough grassland used for cattle or sheep grazing, with a small area of coniferous woodland along the western edge, bordering the A9.
Speaking earlier this month, senior development project manager Rebecca Gay said: “The Banniskirk Hub is a key component of our proposals for a new 400kV overhead line between Spittal and Beauly, supporting the delivery of high-voltage, clean renewable power and helping meet Scotland and the UK’s energy security and clean power ambitions.
“In developing our proposals, we have sought to achieve the best balance from an environmental and technical perspective while taking account of the views of the local community, with whom we have consulted throughout the development of the project proposal.
“We would like to thank all those who provided feedback as part of our pre-application consultation events which have been key in helping shape our proposals. We now look forward to working with Highland Council and stakeholders as part of the planning submission process.”
For just £10 for the first year you can get unlimited access to the Groat online and on our app, including access to the e-editions of the John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier every week.
Your subscription also gives you unlimited access to all HNM titles, keeping up to date with everything in the Highlands as the news breaks.
Use the code ALANHENDRY on a digital annual subscription today to redeem this huge saving on your first year.