Following a proposal by SSEN Transmission temporarily to close a 4.7 mile stretch of the A832 road near Dundonnell in two phases from October until Spring 2026 in preparation for the installation of an underground cable link planned to begin in 2028, a petition has been launched calling for what is referred to as a “more workable solution” to be adopted.
SSEN’s proposal is for the road to be closed from 7am to 9pm during a 10 day working period followed by a 4 day rest period repeated until the work is finished with 3 access periods each time the road is closed. The road would be open overnight and during the 4 day rest period under a single lane closure with traffic lights in operation.
The petition which attracted more than 520 signatures in its first week, calls for one lane to be kept open at all times with traffic lights or for longer and more frequent access windows or for road closure to be scheduled with access windows overnight with one lane open throughout the day.
Local MSP Maree Todd has written to SSEN urging them to revisit their plans and to consider the suggested alternatives proposed by her constituents.
Highland councillors are expected to consider two separate reports at a Council meeting tomorrow.
The first report suggests that individual areas under the Council’s jurisdiction should be left to make decisions on possible limitation of short term lets rather than adopt a Highland wide control zone.
The report indicates that across Highland 6 per cent of potential dwellings are licensed as short term holiday lets but in some areas the figure rises to 30 per cent. It says there is no evidence to suggest an area wide approach would be beneficial.
The second report states that 10 schools are expected to decide during the current term whether or not to ban the use of mobile phones in classrooms and a further 23 plan to consult during the current school year on the use of phones, with another 2 schools already holding community consultations.
