Electric company's offer to cover up controversial 'eyesore' substation
An electrical company has offered to cover up a substation with “sympathetic” brick-look cladding, after neighbours and councillors criticised it as an eyesore.
The Western Power Distribution (WPD) facility was installed in Lilleshall, last autumn, prompting concerns its green plastic casing clashed with the natural and built environment.
Lilleshall Parish Council asked the network operator to encase it in brick. The company declined to on the basis of cost, but were prepared to allow a wall covering it on a single side.
Parish council members later accepted WPD’s offer to pay for a “brick skin effect material” and “wood-effect doors” to be attached to the device, approximately 100 metres from the north end of Limekiln Lane, and planters are due to follow.
Minutes of Lilleshall Parish Council’s November minutes said: “A recent substation installation at the bottom of Limekiln Lane has caused complaints from the public and councillors.
“Councillor David Shaw explained that WPD do not require planning consent to install this utility facility. Therefore, there was no consultation prior to installation.
“However, he suggested that the parish council make contact to propose the idea of a planting scheme around the substation to ease the industrial view of the facility.”
Draft minutes of the March meeting said Councillor Shaw, chairman Andrew Baker, Church Aston and Lilleshall borough councillor Andrew Eade and parish clerk Connor Furnival “had a meeting with WPD where it was requested that a brick structure should be erected around the station”.
The report added: “This was taken back to the management of WPD and it was concluded they were not able to financially support this or allow permissions to do this.
“They had offered to allow the parish council to erect a single wall on the village entrance side of the current structure but this was found as unsuitable.
“It was agreed that the parish council would accept an offer from WPD of attaching a brick skin effect material to the current structure and wood-effect doors at the cost of Western Power.”
A spokesperson for WPD said the materials needed to complete the job had been ordered and the work would be completed soon.
The parish minutes added: “A planting arrangement will be implemented around the structure by the parish council.”
