Opinion split over pylon proposals

05 November 2009

NAILSEA Town Council has voted to create a working party to look in-depth at National Grid proposals to install a 400,000 volt power line near the town.

At a meeting of the council's planning and environment committee last night (Wed), members agreed to form a group of councillors and experts from the town to look at whether the line can be put underground and which route corridor, out of a choice of two, they would prefer the line to follow.

One route the line could take passes between Backwell and Nailsea and the second passes the east of Nailsea over Tickenham Moor

More than 30 members of the public also attended yesterday's meeting to listen to and join in the debate surrounding the controversial proposals, which would see 46m-high pylons installed across open countryside.

Among those who spoke to the council was nine-year-old David Robbins.

He said: "I think Backwell Lake is very popular with children and the lines could cause brain cancer.

"It could also harm the ducks."

Other public speakers at the meeting urged the council to look at the suggestion of installing the power line either underground or along the Severn Estuary.

Brian Cave said: "The project is proposed by a big business and they want to do it for the cheapest possible price.

"I understand that if the line goes underground this will cost considerably more.

"However, National Grid have also said they don't have the technology to put the line under the Severn Estuary when we already have cables connecting France to England for an electricity supply.

"So what if it is more expensive to put the line in the ground - we need to know the definite costs rather than very brief figures."

Electrical engineer David Gray, also a member of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "None of National Grid's reasoning for not building up the channel stands up to investigation.

"National Grid is obliged to demonstrate that it has considered all options but I have not seen any evidence that National Grid has looked at offshore options."

However, Nailsea resident and professor at Bristol University, Keith Edwards, warned the councillors that a choice of which route corridor they would prefer needs to be made to ensure National Grid listens to their opinions.

He said: "The arguments against putting the line in the ground will always be the same from National Grid - the cost and technical ability - and they use the same argument all over the country.

"We won't ever win that argument so we need to make sure we make it clear to National Grid out of corridor one or two which one we prefer."

Councillor Liz Frappell agreed with Professor Edwards and said the council should make sure Nailsea gets the best possible deal out of the situation

However, some councillors said they were very keen to encourage as many people as possible to pressure National Grid into putting the line underground or along the Severn Estuary.

Cllr Clare Hunt said: "We will have to use every bit of evidence that we can for us to use to get an underground route for the line.

"Anything else will not be good enough."

Cllr Mary Ponsonby, who referred to the pylons as metal monsters, said: "We are not going to get away without the pylons coming one side or the other.

"Having said that, we must do something to insist they are partly laid under ground.