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SSEN

SSEN Project Update

Orkney Heritage Society are disappointed but not surprised at the OIC Planning decision to allow SSEN to go ahead with existing plans for the Finstown substation. We had submitted objections because of the huge visual impact – an industrial complex as big as Garson Industrial Estate with at least five buildings over 10 metres in height and, in our view, inadequate screening of the whole site. We felt that SSEN could have done much better in protecting the Orkney landscape by lowering the exposed height of the complex by excavating the site more deeply and using the rock won from this process as aggregate for the construction process. This would make the substation less intrusive and reduce the number of lorry movements through Finstown that would be needed to bring aggregate from other quarries.

Proposed Finstown Sub-station

Our case at the Planning Committee was ably presented by OHS Chairman, Spencer Rosie, who made clear that the Heritage Society agrees with the Council that Renewables are vital to Orkney’s future – we have held that view going right back to Ernest Marwick’s opposition to Uranium Mining. Green energy sources, and the infrastructure to support them, are needed to tackle our world wide climate crisis, as well as securing Orkney’s future economic security. However we expect OIC councillors to share our vision of an Orkney that is fully engaged with Renewables in a way that does not devastate or industrialise our unique island landscape. Our intervention at the OIC Planning Committee meeting was a useful opportunity for voicing the fears of many in the community about the current proposals.

As the SSEN plans develop there will be opportunities for the Orkney public and OHS to make clear that the proposed overhead cables, carried on massive Trident double poles, are not acceptable and that undergrounding of the cables is the sensible way forward. The Orkney Heritage Society is looking forward to working with Councillors and the Orkney public to ensure that the future plans of SSEN are respectful of our landscape and community.

To see how your location will be impacted and for more detail on the proposed works, including maps showing the proposed routes of overhead power lines and locations of sub-stations, CLICK HERE

Please view the detail on the proposals and make your opinions known to SSEN via their website:
www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/orkney/

Also please complete an opinion poll set up by OHS:
http://docs.google.com/…/viewform

Have your say! SSEN Project Consultation Event – Kirkwall – Wed 6 Feb 2019

Keep Orkney Green AND Beautiful!

Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) are holding a consultation event in Kirkwall on Wednesday 6 February, at [location]

We encourage you to attend to this consultation to air your views on the project. Orkney Heritage Society have made it clear in previous posts that the planned works show a wilful disregard for the landscape in which the people of Orkney live. We feel that he overriding concern of the developers has been to keep costs to an absolute minimum regardless of visual impact on the environment.

In addition OHS are concerned that previous consultations and presentations by SSEN have shown minimal information, misleading graphical representations of visual impact of the proposals, and little in the way of genuine consultation with the local population.

Proposed Finstown Sub-station

To see how your location will be impacted and for more detail on the proposed works, including maps showing the proposed routes of overhead power lines and locations of sub-stations, CLICK HERE

Please view the detail on the proposals and make your opinions known to SSEN via their website:
www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/orkney/

Also please complete an opinion poll set up by OHS:
http://docs.google.com/…/viewform

SSEN Orkney Project Consulation – Have your say – OHS Opinion Poll

KOGAB!

Orkney Heritage Society see SSEN’s (Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks) proposed works as a threat to Orkney’s heritage. The current proposals to create an Orkney electricity transmission network would see miles of tall poles and a very obtrusive electricity substation near Finstown.

We are in favour of renewable energy and a properly designed network to export this energy out of Orkney. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to Orkney’s heritage and we fear the world – and Orkney – is running out of time to combat it.

OHS has launched an online opinion poll on SSEN’s Orkney Project.

By clicking on this link you can enter your views via the OHS Opinion Poll on the SSEN consultation exercise and also on the project itself. OHS will use the responses it gets to ensure its representations remain well grounded.

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