Underwhelmed by overhead wires

Eight out of ten people who responded to a consultation believe new power lines built in the UK should be buried under ground.

The results of the survey by National Grid have shown overwhelming support for hiding new electricity lines below ground, despite the extra cost.

National Grid’s report has been seized upon by campaigners against a controversial section of the Beauly to Denny power line upgrade through the Stirlingshire countryside.

They argue it adds to the case for the 12-mile stretch of the electricity line to be hidden below ground.

ScottishPower, the company behind the section of the power line, argues it would cost almost £300 million to put it underground and could delay the scheme by up to three years.

But Stirling Council and campaign groups insist an overhead line would damage the sensitive countryside.

In National Grid’s “Undergrounding Consultation Report” just 1 per cent of 608 respondents believed new electricity lines should be built overhead to minimise the cost to the consumer. In contrast, 77 per cent believed they should be put underground, saying the additional costs were justified.

And 86 per cent of those taking part thought power lines should either be put underground through sensitive areas, such as national parks, or should be re-routed.

Only 4 per cent thought an overhead line should go through the sensitive area.

When asked to rank aspects about power lines that were most important when deciding whether they should be overhead or underground, effects on the landscape and opinions of local people came out top. The issue of cost was only the sixth most important factor out of ten.

Peter Pearson, secretary of campaign group Stirling Before Pylons, said: “The vast majority of people who responded to this consultation were clear that new power lines should be hidden underground, and they were also happy to pay the small extra cost associated with doing this.”

Stirling Council will hold a public meeting on Monday to discuss proposals put forward by ScottishPower last month to mitigate against the impacts of the Beauly to Denny power line through Stirlingshire.

The energy giant has rejected undergrounding as an option and has instead recommended measures that include painting four pylons in particularly sensitive locations so they blend in with the background and planting bushes and trees.

However, Stirling Council, which has consistently argued for the line to be buried, is expected to recommend the Scottish Government rejects the proposals.

Mr Pearson, who also sits on Stirling Council’s Beauly-Denny steering group, added: “People are outraged at the inadequacy of the minimal mitigation measures currently proposed in Stirling.”

A ScottishPower spokesman said: “This project has been in the consenting process since September 2005 and the overwhelming environmental, technical and financial case still supports the overhead line solution as approved.”

Councillor Callum Campbell, chairman of the council’s Beauly to Denny power line steering group, urged as many people as possible to attend the meeting on Monday evening, at Wallace High School, Stirling.

Following the meeting, the council will respond to the Scottish Government about ScottishPower’s proposals by 14 October. The energy minister will then decide whether to approve the mitigation measures.