Campaigners who are opposed to proposals for a new corridor of 400,000 volt electricity pylons running through the Burnham-On-Sea area have this week taken their fight to the Prime Minister.
As first reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com in September, the National Grid wants to connect the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point with a new sub-station near Bristol using 46.5m high electricity pylons across the Somerset moors.
A petition has been started on the official Number Ten website here against route two which, as illustrated on our map, would run to the east of route one.
The petition has been started by campaigner David Coombe, who says: “This proposal affects areas adjacent to an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty and traverses an area of Somerset that is renowned for its wildlife and natural beauty. It will scythe through many pleasant villages.”
The petition comes as members of the protest group ‘No Moor Pylons’ step up their pressure on National Grid to look at other options, particularly installing the pylons along the route of the M5, or burying the cables in the Bristol Channel.
Andrew Scott, Chairman of ‘No Moor Pylons’, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “If we are to defeat these proposals we need a unified approach from the community. All members of each household need to write to National Grid and their MP making their views known.”
Public consultation is currently underway. The first stage of consultation ends on January 8th. Residents have until then to submit their comments.
Last week, Lib Dem parliamenatary candidate Tessa Munt attacked the plans as being “ill-considered” and said the consultation process has been a “sham.”
And MP David Heathcoat-Amory has urged residents who think they will be affected to contact him. He is due to attend a public meeting about the plans at 7pm in Wedmore Village Hall this coming Sunday (6th December).
