Campaigners have won a partial victory in their battle to stop giant pylons striding across sensitive areas of Somerset – but have vowed to continue to fight for more cables to be buried.
They said the announcement by National Grid that the Mendip Hills beauty spot had been spared was welcome, but said the whole 40-mile route should be underground as well.
The draft plan for the 400,000 volt power connection will see a near five-mile long cable passing below the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. But the remainder of the route – connecting the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point with the main grid at Avonmouth, near Bristol – will feature overhead pylons straddling the countryside, including the Somerset Levels.
Revealing the draft route from Bridgwater to a sub-station south of Avonmouth, National Grid said that removing an existing power line would mean 95 fewer pylons in the area overall.
The company hopes to use the less obtrusive Danish T-Pylon design for the overland sections. Last year the design won a Government-backed contest to find a new shape for pylons. At 35 metres high it would be 35 feet. lower than conventional pylons.
Communities, councils and MPs called for 'undergrounding' to protect an area where tourism plays a big part in the local economy.
National Grid said it had listened to communities and the route represented a balance between the cost of the connection, which is passed to all consumers in their bills, and minimising the impact on the environment.
Campaign groups including No Moor Pylons; Pylon Moor Pressure and Nailsea Action Against Pylons say an independent report commissioned by the company showed that 80 per cent of people would be willing to pay extra on their bills for 'undergrounding'.
The project will cost £220 million. The extra £1 billion cost of total 'undergrounding' would add just under £1 per year on annual bills. National Grid says with a £13.6 billion programme of work from 2013-2021 the extra cost to customers of 'undergrounding' nationwide would be much higher.
Planning the route from Bridgwater to Seabank has taken nearly three years. It puts a line on the map for the connection needed for the new Hinkley Point C power station and other low carbon electricity generation planned for the South West.
An existing 132,000-volt line between Bridgwater and Avonmouth can be taken down. In addition, a number of other shorter sections of 132,000-volt line will be removed to enable construction of the new line. In total the number of pylons between Bridgwater and Avonmouth should be reduced from 240 to 145.
The company says it will consider feedback and consult on detailed proposals next year before making an application to the Planning Inspectorate. The Government will make the final decision.
In the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty the route will go underground for more than eight kilometres, nearly five miles. At Mark the route uses a gap that is further away from homes and the village school than the existing overhead line.
Residents of Nailsea had raised concerns about the two existing power lines near their homes. Both lines will be dismantled and the new line will be further away from houses. The second existing 132,000-volt overhead line will be placed underground. This will remove existing power lines that currently cross people's gardens in Nailsea. At Avonmouth the existing overhead line above the Church of England primary school will be removed. A new substation will be needed in the Sandford area to make sure Weston-super-Mare and Churchill continue to receive a safe and reliable electricity supply.
Peter Bryant, National Grid Senior Project Manager, said: "We've been very keen to listen to the views of local people, for example on the importance of the Mendip Hills where we now plan to use underground cables. We're very pleased that the new connection will take up to 95 pylons out of the landscape.
"We understand people have concerns about overhead lines, but where they are used, we will work hard to reduce any visual effects by routing the line carefully and using appropriate pylon designs, which could include the new T-Pylon."
Fiona Erleigh of Nailsea Action Against Pylons said: "I think people in Nailsea will be pleasantly surprised by the draft route, but we will fight on for more undergrounding. The environment has health benefits which are part of the economic argument and the independent report has shown that people are willing to pay to protect it."
Paul Hipwell of No Moor Pylons added: "We are really disappointed that National Grid doesn't think there is an economic case for 'undergrounding' in other areas."
More information about the draft route can be found at: www.hinkleyconnection.co.uk. Residents can also visit National Grid's information hubs in Bridgwater, Congresbury, Nailsea and Avonmouth to find out more about the project.
The hubs will be open until Tuesday, December 18 at Avonmouth (267 Avonmouth Road), Nailsea (13 Colliers Walk), Congresbury (The Old School Rooms) and Bridgwater (The Exchange, Express Park, Bristol Road).
All hubs will be open from midday to 6pm, Monday to Friday. In addition, the hubs in Avonmouth, Nailsea and Bridgwater will also be open on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.DRAFT ROUTE - INTERACTIVE MAPHinkley Point C Connection Project - draft route interactive mapREAD OR DOWNLOAD NATIONAL GRID PROJECT NEWSHinkley Point C Connection Project - Autumn 2012 Project News
