National Grid has allocated £500m to burying cables underground to remove pylons from areas of outstanding natural beauty.
A shortlist of 12 locations was produced in November 2014. [See our previous report here.] These were considered to be the locations were pylons had the most significant landscape and visual impact.
Since then, National Grid and independent landscape consultants have done further technical work with considerable and highly detailed input from local stakeholders in each location. This has enabled its Stakeholder Advisory Group to prioritise four projects from the shortlist.
These are:
- Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Winterbourne Abbas
- New Forest National Park near Hale
- Peak District National Park near Dunford Bridge
- Snowdonia National Park near Porthmadog.
There will now be further technical feasibility works at these locations, including environmental studies, archaeological studies and engineering work on the ground.
Chris Baines, chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Group, said: “Reducing the visual impact of pylons and power lines in our most precious landscapes is highly desirable, but it is also very expensive and technically complex so we have had to make some difficult decisions. Although four schemes have been prioritised, none of the locations on our original shortlist have been dropped and they will remain under consideration for future work to reduce the impact of National Grid’s transmission lines under the Visual Impact Provision project.”
National Grid project manager Hector Pearson said: “This is a unique stakeholder-driven project, and it continues to represent a major opportunity to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife, cultural and environmental heritage of some Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks. We will continue to work in partnership with stakeholders to not only mitigate the impact of our transmission lines in these areas but to also enhance the landscape, and deliver value for money.”
The protected landscapes that have not been prioritised are the Brecon Beacons National Park, High Weald AONB, North Wessex Downs AONB and the Tamar Valley AONB. These locations will remain under consideration for future work, subject to funding.
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