Eyesore electricity pylons could be removed

Rows of giant pylons cutting through Hale have long been loathed by its community and visitors to the national park.

Now the enormous structures could be removed as the National Grid has launched a major investigation into proposals to bury hundreds of miles of high voltage lines underground to reduce the impact on protected landscapes.

The proposal will spell the end for 45 pylons in parts of the New Forest, Peak District and Snowdonia national parks – at a cost of around £11million each.

However, some 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.”

The scheme will be funded by a £500m allowance from Ofgem, which is available until 2021.

Work could begin in 2018 and be completed by 2021.

A stakeholder advisory group, with representatives from the Campaign for National Parks, Campaign to Protect Rural England, English Heritage, Natural England and the National Trust, will help determine which lines should be prioritised and consider the wider economic, archaeological, and heritage concerns.

George Mayhew, National Grid representative on the project Stakeholder Advisory Group, said: “The electricity network is vital to our way of life, but this project will help reduce its impact on some of our most treasured landscapes.

“At the heart of the project is collaboration between National Grid, those organisations tasked with protecting Britain’s treasured areas and the people who live in and visit these landscapes.”

Decisions are expected to be made in spring next year.