PYLONS in the National Park could be torn down as part of a £500m scheme to reclaim some of the New Forest’s most cherished countryside.

The National Grid will investigate proposals to bury hundreds of miles of high voltage lines underground to reduce the impact of its infrastructure on protected landscapes.

Politicians in the New Forest have welcomed the feasibility study but warn more needs to be done to ensure the tunnelling of underground cables does not cause even greater environmental damage.

The region has been shortlisted among eight Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) where 12 sections of high voltage lines are deemed to have the most significant impact on surrounding countryside.

The announcement follows an independent study by landscape expert Professor Carys Swanwick assessing 571k of the grid’s power lines running through some of the country’s most treasured landscapes.

The cost of dismantling lines and burying them underground will be funded by a £500m allowance from Ofgem available until 2021.

It includes a £24m initiative for alternative engineering methods including repositioning pylons and screening them from view slopes at key public viewpoints.

But critics warn tunnelling cables involves digging huge trenches which can leave scars on the landscape.

New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne said some higher voltage lines would need troughs as wide as motorways to run in.

He said: “I’m all for getting rid of them where necessary but we have to be careful what we wish for as it very much depends on the load the cable is carrying and the landscape.

“The devil is in the detail and I want to know what’s being proposed and where.”

A stakeholder advisory group will help determine which lines should be prioritised and consider the wider economic, archaeological, and heritage concerns.

Representatives include the Campaign for National Parks, Campaign to Protect Rural England, English Heritage, Natural England and the National Trust.

Decisions are expected to be made in spring next year.