DPEA UPDATE Spittal To Loch Buidhe To Beauly 400 Kv Overhead Line Connection

Garve and District Community Council

Added at 12:05 on 30 June 2026

Application For Consent Under Section 37 Of The Electricity Act 1989 And Deemed Planning Permission Under S57(2) Of The Town And Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 To Install And Keep Installed The Spittal To Loch Buidhe To Beauly 400 Kv Overhead Line Connection Within The Highland Council Area.

Respondents to the consultation should have been informed by the DPEA of the next stages in the enquiry process. 
This is a reminder that in order to stay engaged in the process it is necessary to respond by Friday this week 3rd July 2026

To do so just complete this form DPEA-Spittal-Loch-Buidhe-Beauly
This form is only for those who have previously engaged in the consultation 

No response = no opportunity to contribute at a later stage.  
Responding doesn't mean committing, it's just keeping your options.



INFO FROM DEPA

It is not an opportunity to submit further representations and any that are received will be rejected.

The precise scope of the inquiry, and its format, will be decided by the Reporters.

• They are likely to rely on the information already received for most topics but are currently minded to use further procedure in relation to the following topics:
• Landscape and visual effects within each section of the route, including effects upon designated landscapes and residential visual amenity: inquiry/hearing session.
• Clarification on council’s plan to commission professional landscape and visual advice and their findings: further written submissions.
• Residential visual amenity – clarification from the council on the specific properties to be unacceptably affected: further written submissions.
• Residential visual amenity: the potential for a limited number of accompanied site inspections.
• Ecology and Ornithology, including effects on capercaillie, golden eagle, common scoter, atlantic salmon and the effects on designated sites including: the Flow Country WHS, Caithness & Sutherland
• Peatlands SAC/Ramsar, Shielton Peatlands SSSI, Novar and Morangie Forest SPA and associated mitigation measures: inquiry/hearing session/further written submissions.
• Cultural heritage – setting effects in relation to the 25 Scheduled Monuments that Historic Environment Scotland has objected on (and any other assets added by reporters after their own initial site inspections): inquiry/hearing session.
• Cultural heritage – 17 listed buildings and Fairburn GDL: further written submissions.
• Conditions (including but not limited to) – aviation, micrositing, private water supplies, water and drainage, flood risk, construction management, construction noise, traffic and transportation including public road improvements, biodiversity enhancement; forestry felling and replanting, biosecurity measures, and fish monitoring and mitigation: further written submissions/hearing session.
• Raeshaw Farms Limited v Scottish Ministers [2026] CSIH 10: further written submissions.
• Need: further written submissions.
• Planning policy – clarification of the council’s planning policy basis for its finalised objection (if updating that of 30 October 2025): further written submissions.
• Aviation effects: further written submissions.
• Traffic and transport effects: further written submissions.
• Construction noise (residential amenity): further written submissions.
• Access, cycling routes and core paths: further written submissions.
• Effects on agricultural operations: further written submissions.
• Effects on communications infrastructure : further written submissions.
• Community hearings: for individuals and groups who have opted in to participate in the inquiry to present their views to the Reporters. This can extend to any matters including topics also to be covered through other procedures as listed above (such as landscape and visual effects) but without the need for technical evidence and cross-examination.

By taking part in any of the above processes (or any other process which the Reporters choose to adopt) you will be required to actively contribute to the inquiry, which may involve submitting documents and giving evidence in person. The accompanying Annex explains more fully what taking part means and gives you more information and notice of the steps you will need to take if you choose to take part. Please read this carefully before deciding.

If you choose not to actively participate in the pre inquiry meeting (PIM) and other inquiry proceedings, please note that you will be able to view the proceedings either live or recorded on the DPEA's YouTube Channel.

Pre-Inquiry Meeting
If you decide to take part in the inquiry, you should note that a PIM, will be held virtually at 10:30 am on Tuesday 11 August 2026. The purpose of this meeting is to finalise the procedure for the subsequent public inquiry. This meeting will not give any consideration to the merits of the case.

At the PIM, the reporters expect to discuss whether additional information may be required on any topics. This may include, but not be limited to, the implications of the Court of Session’s decision on Raeshaw Farms Limited v Scottish Ministers [2026] CSIH 10 and effects on private water supplies.

Further details of the topics for discussion will be provided in the PIM agenda. This agenda will be made available to view on the case file on DPEA’s website TRL-270-4 prior to the meeting. You will not be sent the agenda directly.

For practical reasons, if there is a very high number of interested parties, the Reporters will have to limit participation in the PIM. In those circumstances it may be that only consultees, Community Councils and organised community/objector groups (who consider it necessary to raise a procedural matter) will be able to participate in this procedural meeting. The participants will be sent instructions and a link to join the meeting in due course.

It will be at the Reporters’ discretion to decide whether to allow any requests to participate in the PIM.
You do not need to participate in the PIM to be able to observe proceedings. Everything will be able to be viewed online (both live and recorded) on DPEA's YouTube Channel.

All of the application documentation can be viewed on the DPEA website TRL-270-4.

Disability and reasonable adjustments

Should you wish to take part in further procedure and consider that (as a result of any disability) reasonable adjustments may be required to facilitate that, please let me know. Any such response will be treated in confidence and only shared with other parties if necessary, and with your agreement.

We trust this explains the position.
Yours sincerely
SPITTAL TO BEAULY 400 KV SECTION 37 TEAM
Planning And Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA)
Scottish Government

Ground Floor, Hadrian House, Callendar Business Park, Falkirk, FK1 1XR

Phone: 0131 244 6668
Email: DPEA-Spittal-to-Beauly400kVOHL@gov.scot
DPEA Website: www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk
DPEA Twitter: @DPEAScotland

ANNEX
What action is required from you now
If you want to take part in the public inquiry you need to tell us. You must do this within 14 days of the date of this correspondence and use the form provided. 


TRL-270-4 – Spittal To Beauly 400Kv Ohl – Opt In Response
What happens if you DO NOT wish to take part in the public inquiry?

If you DO NOT wish to take part and only wish to observe the proceedings you can do this by watching all sessions (both live and recorded) on DPEA's YouTube Channel. Where sessions are held in-person you may also attend to observe. The time, date and (where applicable) locations of all sessions will be provided in advance on the DPEA website.

No further action is required from you. You will not receive further correspondence from us directly. The reporters will take into account any representations you have already made.

What happens if you wish to take part in the public inquiry?

If you respond confirming that you do intend to take part, then you may participate in the inquiry procedures which the Reporters decide are required. Further procedure may involve providing further written submissions and/or giving evidence at a hearing or inquiry session. This will be confirmed after the PIM.

Please familiarise yourself with the DPEA’s published code of practice for the handling of inquiries under the Electricity Act 1989. Although that guidance relates to Section 36 wind farm cases it is also relevant to Section 37 overhead line cases.

If you decide to participate in the inquiry, it is critical that you are willing and able to meet all deadlines and participate in whichever procedures the Reporters choose. With regard to understanding what is involved in hearing and inquiry sessions, paragraphs 26 to 31, and appendices 1 and 2 of the code of practice will apply.

If you wish to participate, it may also be advisable to familiarise yourself with the following guidance notes:

Note 23 – Managing an efficient inquiry process
Note 29 – Document management in oral processes
Note 30 – Community hearings

Sharing of documentation
All those taking part in the inquiry will need to share documents with each other. We will also communicate with you by email. If you do not wish your normal email address to be shared, it would be prudent to set up a new email address to use for this purpose.

We will assume you are content for the email address you provide to be shared.

DPEA provides access to a secure file sharing platform for uploading documents which is intended to be used by all participating parties, called ‘Objective Connect’. This is a secure workspace where information can be shared on a central platform and is DPEA ’s preferred way for submission of documents.

This platform ensures that all parties taking part receive all submissions at the same time. More details about how to use this site will be issued in due course

 
Provisional basic timescale

• By 03 July 2026 the responses to this correspondence will confirm who intends to take part in the inquiry.
• 28 July 2026 – The agenda for the PIM will be published on the DPEA website.
• 11 August 2026 – PIM takes place where the detailed arrangements and a timetable for the inquiry will be discussed. This will also consider whether any inquiry or hearing sessions could be virtual rather than in person.
• 18 August 2026 – Note of PIM published on the DPEA website, confirming the arrangements, procedures and deadlines for any hearing and inquiry sessions. It will also outline the matters to be addressed through further written submissions and by whom/when.
• 1 September 2026 – All opted-in parties must confirm which (if any) inquiry and hearing sessions they wish to participate in.
• 23 November 2026 – Inquiry and hearing sessions expected to begin this week, to be held over the course of two consecutive weeks and potentially week beginning 14 December.
• March 2027 – The Reporters submit a report to Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit.