A homeowner from Aberdeenshire has launched legal proceedings against the energy giant SSE, alleging that its proposal to erect new electricity pylons near his property caused its value to plummet by a staggering £125,000.
A Sale Collapsed and a Financial Blow
Matt Greedy, from Dunecht in Aberdeenshire, states he was on the verge of selling his home for approximately £700,000 when SSE announced its intention to build a network of pylons. The plans involved installing electric power lines a mere 230 metres from his house, a prospect that prompted the original buyer to withdraw from the sale entirely.
Mr Greedy claims that after this initial collapse, seven more potential buyers pulled out, leaving him with no choice but to eventually sell the property for just £575,000. He asserts he was effectively forced to accept this significant financial loss directly as a result of the energy firm's infrastructure project.
Wider Community Impact and Political Backing
Mr Greedy is not pursuing compensation solely for himself. He is suing SSE on behalf of himself and thousands of other local residents in the county whose homes he believes have been negatively impacted by the pylon proposals. He has criticised SSE for branding itself a champion of fair and just energy transition while simultaneously destroying the value of people's properties.
His case has garnered political support. Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, has written to both the Scottish Government and SSE, arguing that those affected by the pylon plans deserve compensation. He stated that the lives of locals have been turned upside down by what he called hugely damaging proposals, adding that neither the company nor the government fully comprehends the scale of the issue and the misery it is causing.
The Pylon Project and Conflicting Research
The controversy stems from SSE's plans, announced as part of its £22 billion Pathway to 2030 investment programme, to construct 350 electricity pylons stretching from Kintore to Tealing in Angus. This initiative is designed to transport electricity generated by wind farms in rural areas to cities in England and southern Scotland. The project has already sparked a substantial 10,600 objections from concerned locals.
While both Holyrood and Westminster have emphasised that such infrastructure is crucial for decarbonising the UK's electricity system, and power transmission firms often claim pylons have little to no impact on house values, academic research suggests otherwise. A study from the London School of Economics by Professor Steve Gibbons and Cheng Keat Tang concluded that a property's value can drop by 20 per cent when pylons are built within 250 metres. The research warned that the potential compensation bill for such schemes could run into billions of pounds nationally.
SSE's Stance and the Road Ahead
Despite Mr Greedy's request for compensation, SSE has refused to engage and has denied all liability. According to Mr Greedy, the company expressed concern that offering him compensation would set a precedent. An SSE spokesman stated: We're sorry to hear of Mr Greedy's concerns and have been in regular dialogue with him... In this case, we don't consider that a legal basis has been established to substantiate an award of compensation. The company maintains that it has carefully balanced environmental, technical, and economic considerations in developing its proposals.
This case highlights the growing tension between national green energy ambitions and the immediate financial and personal impact on homeowners living near new infrastructure developments.
