Controversial £13 million plans for an overhead electricity line through the Oswestry countryside, which have faced massive opposition, could be placed underground.

Scottish Power wants to construct a 13-mile (21km) line between Legacy substation in Wrexham and Oswestry’s substation to help supply 80,000 homes and businesses in the Wrexham, Shropshire and Powys area.

It would run past Pont y Blew, Chirk, Glyn Morlas, St Martins and Hindford, near Gobowen.

Scottish Power has submitted its plan to the Department of Energy and Climate Change for a decision. The firm favours using overhead lines rather than the more expensive option of placing the supply underground.

But a report to next week’s Shropshire Council area regulatory planning committee has recommended that the line should be buried underground.

Members of the committee will discuss the proposal at a meeting in Oswestry on Tuesday. In a report, planning officer Robert Bennett recommends councillors should advise the Government the power line should go underground.

Mr Bennett said: “The project will have a significant visual impact in some areas and ideally the line should be placed underground for all its length.

“This representation should be made to the Secretary of State. However, considerable effort has been put into selecting the route and the visual and ecological impacts have been minimised.”

St Martins resident Mac Ozanne, who has been leading the campaign against the proposed power line, welcomed the council recommendation.