Letter: Have your say on pylon plans
Wednesday 13th April 2011, 7:51AM BST.
Letter: I have just had the opportunity to view National Grid’s latest proposals in its quest to complete the destruction of the outstanding countryside of Mid Wales and Shropshire.
This began with the inst- allation of wind turbines and could complete with a 30-acre hub at Abermule with power lines carried via 85ft-high pylons across some of the most beautiful countryside of Mid Wales and Shropshire. Such an outcome could only be described as corporate vandalism of the highest degree.
These cables should of course be run underground. I’m sure National Grid will oppose this request, primarily based upon cost. I also assume shareholders’ dividend will influence their considerations. I hope I am wrong.
The argument that should be paramount is the disastrous impact that it is going to have on businesses, residents and visitors. From what I have seen, these factors have not yet been considered. If you are affected by these installations ensure you attend the meetings and sign the online petition “People against pylons – Mid Wales Connection”.
David Surry
Middletown
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The uk government are pressing ahead in their goal to reduce carbon emissions and to produce 15% of our electrical needs by renewables all before the year 2020. A boom in mid wales of renewable generation is why there is need for this new power line. The uk government will see that a hub is placed either near Abermule or Cefn Coch. The consultations taking place all over the effected areas are the perfect opertunity to campaign for underground cables.
A consultation pack should have been given to you at the meetings with a questionaire to fill in.
State on it that you request strongly that cables be placed underground near dwellings and places of interest.
A ‘I don’t want this here’ NIMBY attitude is just giving the developers the green light to press ahead with pylons.
Burring the cables will result in a 1% rise in everyones electric bill though (source: They work for us. a debate on renewable energy) as the national grid will need to cover their costs for doing this.
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I totally agree that the cables should be buried – it is such a short sighted approach to despoil such a beautiful area with huge pylons marching across the Shropshire and Powys countryside.
I need to pick up on one point though – the pylons will not be 85 feet high, they will be 164 feet high (50m). The Lord Hill column is only 133 feet high. They will absolutely dominate our vistas for miles and miles. I don’t think most people realise what a threat this is to our county and the tourist trade so many depend upon.
Anyone who cares about our beautifil counties will be concerned about this – our landscape deserves better than the “cheapest option”.
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Surley over the lifetime of the cable the costs will be less as maintenance costs will be less due to the fact that undergound lines will not be affected by wind or weather. every time we have a major storm there is wirk to be done on overground lines.
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Underground lines are also less vulnerable than pylons to any direct action that might be taken by persons objecting to the senseless destruction of the landscape.
But still better just to the scrap the whole project now.
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I can’t see how pylons will stop tourists visiting Wales. At Ironbridge they have an unsightly power station and a network of pylons emanating from it, yet tourists still go there.
Pylons are indeed a cheaper option, not only for installation but also for maintenance. They are with us now and will be for a long time.
The scaremongering by the locals will have no effect, and they will get used to them, lots of other people have.
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People go to Ironbridge for the history, to see the bridge, shop, visit the town, etc – in other words activities relating to man-made attractions. People visit rural locations to get away from those things!
I have been to Ironbridge a number of times and don’t remember the pylons. But if I was choosing to “get away from it all” I would go somewhere without them … and I am damned sure I would notice if they passed over where I was picnicking!
The problem in this case is that constructing a huge new substation and 50 kilometres of pylons will use more energy (in the form of thousands of tons of concrete, steel and aluminium – plus vast amounts of petrol and diesel) than is justified by sighting the wind farm so far from the grid – and we will all pay for it.
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People go to Ironbridge for the history, to see the bridge, shop, visit the town, etc – in other words activities relating to man-made attractions. People visit rural locations to get away from those things!
I have been to Ironbridge a number of times and don’t remember the pylons. But if I was choosing to “get away from it all” I would go somewhere without pylons … and I am damned sure I would notice if they passed over where I was picnicking!
Constructing a huge new substation and 50 kilometres of pylons will produce more carbon (in the form of thousands of tons of concrete, steel and aluminium – plus vast amounts of petrol and diesel) than is justified by building the wind farm so far from the grid – and we will all pay for it.
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Colin D
I am not sure where you soul is – BUT surely you understand tourists visit Mid Wales for the natural beauty of its valleys and hills, its wildlife and tranquility. They want to get away from ugly industrialism.
Precisely the reason why tourists visit the Lake District.
They do not want such natural vistas to be destroyed for future generations by grotesque giant steel plyons holding thick ugly cables above their heads.
Any new link into the grid could go north just 29 mls over the mountains where
a) It would not be seen
b) There would be no disruption to the highway network
c) Those thousands of people threatened by a West East route would be unaffected.
d) AND it would be a cheaper alternative – just 29 miles againsy c.40mls, with perhaps some of that underground.
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Burying cables costs around 10 times that of using pylons, a cost that would surely be passed on to the consumer. What may not be appreciated is that the land required is as wide as a motorway with all the attendant disruption during construction while the land recovers – and that land can never be built on.
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The Welsh Assembly Government’s entire TAN 8 programme, windfarms, substations, pylons the lot, should be scrapped forthwith.
I am sick and tired of hearing “climate change” trotted out in supposed justification for destroying landscape on a par with any National Park.
In reality, climate variation is only natural, the climate has shown no general warming trend for the past 15 years, C02 has risen but temperatures have not followed suit, and the “scientists” promoting the “climate change” scare have been exposed by their e-mails (official attempts at whitewash notwithstanding) as data-suppressing charlatans. Even if “climate change” were the threat claimed, nuclear power, not wind, would be the solution, as only nuclear has the capacity to displace carbon emissions on the required scale (and can do so from a single, confined, location). There are no tsunamis in Wales (although I wouldn’t mind in principle if one were to hit the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff Bay).
The real threat to Mid-Wales and Shropshire is not “climate change” but rather draconian non-solutions to non-existent, or barely existent, problems, driven by political folly and grandstanding of which some appear to be uncritical consumers.
Let them keep their pap and drivel to themselves, and let the rest of us keep our countryside for future generations.
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Charles Turpin – You are right TAN 8 ought to be scrapped BUT I doubt it will.
I also generally agree with your comments on climate change although we are undoubtably polluting the atmosphere using fosil fuel technology.
It is DANGEROUS to depend upon fosil fuels.They are largely controlled by despots and “crooks” in unstable countries, who increase the price whenever they feel the whim and we HAVE to pay for it with our continuously and now SUBSTANTIALLY DEVALUED POUND. (Queen’s Head on it or not, Mr HAGUE)!
So looking for alternative sources makes sense. BUT Wind Farms are indeed dubious. 30pc max efficiency 17pc average – often producing max output when demand is at its lowest. And that energy CANNOT BE STORED.
Developing WAVEPOWER/HYDRO and SOLAR is the route we should be taking and yes even nuclear.
HOWEVER we are where we are. If we must have windfarms they should be out at sea. (DENMARK and GERMANY have learnt from bitter experiance for technical & max efficiency reasons, that is best)
BUT if stupidity or obstinacy prevails in the WELSH ASSEMBLY (assembly of what some wonder!) then instead of upsetting thousands by going east to link with the grid near SHREWSBURY – go NORTH.
From Cefn Coch it is just 29miles to an existing 400kv NG link at TRAWSFYNDD. Over the mountains, only seen by a few buzzards and mountain sheep. AND REMEMBER you POLITIANS they do not have VOTES – but WE DO!
What’s more the NG’s Project Manager has accepted publically that route is technically feasible. SO WHY NOT? – let’s for a change – PROTECT OUR VALLEYS, LANDSCAPES AND ENVIRONMENT – and leave something we do not have to be ashamed of to future generations.
REMEMBER FOLKS the elections will be here shortly. USE YOUR VOTE AGAINST the muttonheads! ONLY THEN WILL THEY GET THE MESSAGE.
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The bbc wales website gave a very profesional and balanced coverage of this today and explained that the uk gov requested tan8 to be drawn up. It’s here and we must work with it.
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Plain and simple, WE DON’T WANT THEM.
A blight on the fantastic Mid Wales landscape,
a menace to wildlife, and an Health issue to boot.
The Welsh Assembly, and the Powys planning authorities should be ashamed to be involved.
Stop them NOW!
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WAG & Powys cc have no say in this matter. It is a national government decision.
The leaders of this campaign are leading people down the wrong path by taking it to the Welsh Assembly. WAG do not have the powers devolved to do anything about it.
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Public consultations end in June. Sometime later in June there will be a protest at the WAG and presentation of the petitions.
Assembly will take several months to process and scrutinize the petitions before presenting it to the debating chamber if successful in doing so!
Meanwhile, politicians take summer recess between July & October in which time, National grid will have published their prefered route and then the UK govt dept will give the green light even before the MPs & AMs get back to office.
Now Glyn Davies MP is faffing about trying to find someone to blame for all these wind farms in powys. Well the answer he is looking for is only himself!
When he was AM, he was opposed to tan8 and to wind farms. (tan8 was drawn up on instruction of the UK govt to meet carbon emission targets and set percentages for energy produced by renwables)
For 15 years or more of tan8, Glyn has sat back and done absolutely nothing to stop these wind farms, when he as AM could have encouraged energy companies to invest in other forms of renewables in his constituency. That is why we have so many wind farms in powys and why national grid need to install a stronger power supply. (on pylons or underground, depending on the outcome of the public consultations)
Yet another case of “all mouth, no trousers” in action again!!!
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