A controversial pipeline spanning 11 miles of the Angus coast will have a wider impact on Scottish agriculture, according to a national body.
And local councillors face a tough decision on Tuesday when faced with plans for the huge electrical cable between Carnoustie and Tealing.
Should members of the development standards committee agree with a top council officer, land will be torn up across miles of farmland to make way for electrical cables connected with a massive offshore windfarm.
Plans to “onshore” power generated by two wind fields in the North Sea have generated 27 objections so far, and the National Farmers’ Union Scotland has described environmental impact surveys behind the plans as inadequate.
Legal and technical policy manager Gemma Thomson states in an objection: “Agriculture is one of the most important industries in Scotland, and one which is of vital importance in an economic context.
“This is particularly important in Angus, where the exceptional quality of the farmland plays a pivotal role.”
“It is without doubt that the 23 farmers affected by this development will be directly affected by this proposal (and) will suffer a detrimental effect.”
As part of a larger 3.5GW SSE and Fluor joint venture named Seagreen, the project could supply 670,000 houses with wind-generated energy but it needs a point onshore to deal with the energy.
The Courier first revealed the project and large-scale concerns for the pipeline in April last year.
A report by Angus Council’s strategic director for communities Alan McKeown recommends approval for the project, with conditions but councillors have the final say.
The windfarm element of Seagreen will comprise 150 wind turbines of more than 600 feet, with a 1GW capacity. Only the output from farms Alpha and Bravo will be brought ashore in Angus, but even then it will involve large-scale civil works.
A statement from the firm forecast “significant impacts” on the land around the construction phase that will be fully reversed after the pipeline is finished.
The cabling would run between the mean low water mark at Carnoustie beach and a substation in Tealing.
Alpha and Bravo are 17 and 23 miles from Arbroath and installation of the cables could start next year with the first turbines going up in 2017 and the whole project finishing in 2019. The cabling will cross the A930, A92 and A90 and its operational lifespan would be 25 years.
Ms Thomson warns of a “wider knock-on effect” in Scotland, as much of the UK’s quality seed potato production is based in Angus.
She states: “The potential serious nature of a wider knock on effect on agriculture in Scotland should not be underestimated.
“It is extremely worrying that the applicant does not appear to have grasped the importance of biosecurity NFU Scotland considers it would be prudent for an entirely new environmental impact assessment to be commissioned.
“It is imperative that this is completed via an impartial source only then can the interests of agriculture be considered adequately safeguarded.”
An objection was also lodged by Charles Simmers, owner of Tealing airfield. His agents wrote that the site of the substation would be intended for his land, which has already been promised in a “binding contract” to another developer.
Stewart Duff from Kingennie raised an objection that is largely representative of those who feel their homes will be adversely affected.
He wrote to the council about his concerns for drainage, stating: “The works may have an impact to the fields draining through the arable land to the south of our houses. The area is frequently flooded.”