Martin accused of pylon on the agony in protest over power line

A SCOTTISH Government minister has been accused of breaching the ministerial code after allegedly “endorsing” a controversial planning application.

- By David Walker Scottish Politics Reporter

Planning storm: SNP's Gillian Martin.

Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin has already come under fire for refusing to meet people campaigning against a 70-mile overhead power line between Angus and Aberdeenshire.

Energy giant SSEN Transmission lodged plans for the multi-billion pound scheme with the SNP Government earlier this month. Locals have demanded that the application be refused, but attempts to meet Ms Martin have been turned down due to concerns about the planning process.

However, she did attend an event at Had-Fab in East Lothian last month after the firm was awarded an SSEN contract to build pylons for a different overhead line, running from Beauly to Spittal. Comments she made there have been criticised by Scottish Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden who has suggested she may have breached the ministerial code, a sackable offence.