RESIDENTS in Kincardine will "fight the plans" for a new substation to the north of the town.

Scottish Power Energy Networks have put forward plans for a site behind Hawkhill Farm, but it's already attracted local opposition.

Kincardine Community Council hosted a public meeting, to allow residents to voice their concerns, and chairman Donald Campbell said: “They couldn’t have picked a worse site for it.

“There’s the matter of extra pylons in the village and an underground cable being installed.

“Tulliallan Castle is in the woods there, this is our historic environment and they’re going to lump a big sub station right next to it."

The proposals suggest a large development which would stretch from Tulliallan Castle up towards Kilbagie.

Residents approached the community council with concerns, particularly the location, and a meeting was arranged.

SP Energy Networks say the older substation at Longannet needs to be replaced with a newer version that will have a bigger output. 

Despite the objections, Donald insisted: "We’re not 100 per cent against the substation. 

“We do not object to a substation, only the choice of site.

“We held a well-attended public meeting and decided to form an action group to fight the plans.

The plans would see the substation built behind the houses on Broomknowe Drive, with one of the concerns being the distance to housing.

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He added: “It’s a greenfield site, next to a scheduled historic monument and it’s very close to housing so not ideal on any count.”

The new substation in Kincardine is designed to replace the Longannet substation, which is nearing its end of life.

It has a 275 kilovolt output, whereas the new one would be increased to 400kV.

A summary of the proposal, found on the SP Energy Network website, states: “Much of the electricity transmission network in Scotland is between 50 and 100 years old.

“It has grown and evolved to meet industrial needs and serve the expanding population and we need to increase the voltage of the overheard lines in this area from 275kV to 400kV so we can get more energy from where it’s produced to where it’s needed.

“Once operational, this will allow us to decommission the old Longannet substation, which is at the end of its operational life and cannot be upgraded.

“The proposed new substation at Kincardine North will have a key role in enabling Scotland and the UK to meet net zero emissions targets while ensuring that power flows efficiently through the system in central Scotland.”

On the location, the company said the site was chosen due to the overhead lines already there, insisting factors such as forestry, proximity to residents and flood risk were all taken into consideration.

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Donald said: “We’re going to leaflet every household village, outline the plans and the objectives.

“Hopefully, this will result in some feedback and form an action plan for a way forward, prior to the actual full planning application.”

A full planning application has not been submitted just yet, with the current proposals online at www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/pages/kincardine_north_substation.aspx#tablist1-tab4.