Burnham-On-Sea’s MP will be among 80 politicians attending a meeting later this week aimed at halting National Grid’s plans for more “monstrous” pylons across the UK, including Somerset.
The meeting on Thursday (March 14th) will involve MPs from constituencies across the country, including Tessa Munt, who are all affected by National Grid’s plans to build more giant pylons.
Environment Secretary Owen Patterson is expected to attend as well as representatives from Ofgem and the Department for Climate Change.
They will hear from Oxford Professor Dieter Helm who will show that new evidence suggests the public would be willing to pay to bury the power cables.
National Grid has proposed a scheme for a 400,000 volt power connection between Hinkley Point and Avonmouth, running through the Burnham area. Despite calls for the line to be buried underground, National Grid announced that the 37-mile power line would run overground in the the Burnham area last November, as we reported here.
MP Tessa Munt told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The fight against these monstrous Pylons goes on and I am continuing to do all I can to prevent beautiful Somerset from being scarred by them. I’m looking forward to the summit this Thursday where I hope we can make headway.”
And Paul Hipwell from campaign group No Moor Pylons told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This is a really important summit that could completely change our approach to electricity transmission and ensure the dis-benefits of pylons are properly taken into account.”
“All the evidence is that it is perfectly possible to bury the power cables and that the cost is something people are willing to pay to protect our beautiful countryside for future generations to enjoy. This summit could mark a real turning point in the campaign to halt National Grid’s plans to install giant pylons across the South West.”
