Anger over 350-bed workers' village planned 100m from homes in picturesque Scottish island town

The camp is to house staff working on SSE’s power line upgrade between the island and Fort Augustus.

Planning includes accommodation blocks, a canteen, a gym, a first aid centre and a small bar. There are also plans for 196 car parking spaces and street lights on the site.

Workers using the accommodation will be upgrading an approved substation that supports the reinforcement of the transmission network.

The overhead line upgrade, which will take until 2030 to complete, is still waiting for full permission to be granted by the Scottish Government.

Planning documents said the proposed village would be temporary and would only be required for “a maximum of five years”. Developers said the accommodation would also minimise impact on local housing pressures.

The camp is planned for the edge of Broadford, the second biggest town on the island with a population of about 1,100.

Martyn Ayre, a resident and leader of a local campaign against the plans, said the temporary village would be about 100m from his house.

He said: “They will increase the population of the town by about 25-30 per cent with this camp. That is going to put a huge strain on local services, like water and sewage.

“It will also be a strain on local health services. The plans say they have a first aid room, but anything more serious, they would have to go to the local A&E, which is already struggling staff recruitment-wise.”

Residents said they feared the development would lay the ground for future industrial projects near their hometown.

“The plans say a maximum of five years, but it’s commonly acknowledged these projects start late, overrun,” Mr Ayre said. “And once the site has had a consent given on it, it creates the precedent for other consents later on.”

There have also been concerns raised about a single track road to the proposed site, the impact on local wildlife in the town, including otters, and the removal of a woodland planted under a forestry grant scheme. Some 60 objections have been made to the development.

Sodexo, the developers, said community consultations had been carried out and had shaped the project design.

A spokesperson said: “The site will help meet our client’s accommodation needs and reduce any impact on local housing, while essential services located on-site will mitigate any potential burden on local health services and infrastructure.

“All drainage and surface water management systems will be designed in accordance with the standards and requirements outlined by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other relevant authorities to mitigate environmental risks.”

Sodexo said it would “explore” restoring saplings felled during construction.

The temporary village will house staff involved in the construction of the approved Edinbane and Broadford substations on the island. A second temporary village to support the powerline upgrade is also planned for the island in Kyleakin.

SSE said it was exploring opportunities to contribute to building permanent housing to support the project and local housing needs.

A spokesperson said: “We look forward to the Scottish Government’s timely determination of our section 37 application for the overhead line, which is essential to support clean power and energy security targets.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “A decision will be taken by ministers in due course, following consideration of the application information, consultation responses and representations made by members of the public.”