PRELIMINARY MEETING WITH PLANNING INSPECTORATE

NATIONAL GRID

HINKLEY POINT C CONNECTION PROJECT 2015

National Grid/Hinkley Point C Connection consultation moves into the Planning Inspectorate examination phase beginning Monday 19th January, at The Winter Gardens Weston-super-Mare, this is the preliminary meeting. As far as local parishes are concerned we appear to be left with just Badgworth, Compton Bishop and Mark who each have a single councillor committed to continue the consultation and having an influence on the outcome after their five year commitment to this process which has seen the majority of town and parish councils abandon the process. Similarly, action groups have dropped out of the consultation over the past couple of years.

The three parishes will be severely affected by the proposals of National Grid, Compton Bishop together with Biddisham (which lies at the foot of the Mendip Hills AONB) and Tarnock (Biddisham and Tarnock are part of Badgworth PC) coming south over the Somerset Levels towards the parish of Mark which lies at the top of Mark Moor on the Levels.

The current transmission line of 132,000 volts via an overhead line on 27 metre lattice towers, will be replaced if National Grid is granted their DCO by the new T-pylon standing at 36metres as well as an increase to 400,000 volts.  The undergrounding section necessitates a sealing end compound which will be placed at the foot of the Mendip Hills AONB and adjacent to Biddisham village. An option to cross the River Axe by a cable bridge is favoured by National Grid and will also be at the foot of the Mendip Hills AONB. In Tarnock there is to be a works compound which will be sited at the start of the application for something like six years with daily use of plant and heavy goods vehicles.

The Somerset Levels are a unique flat open landscape which can be seen for miles stretching out from the Mendip Hills AONB and Brent Knoll.

National Grid should not be allowed to spoil this view there are other ways that can and should be used, Mitigation against this proposal is difficult to achieve because of the route.  It is our belief that National Grid, unable to provide sufficient or effective mitigation, should seek an alternative route or technology that will not ruin this landscape for the next 80 years plus.  Subsea or Gas Insulated lines are proven technologies which have not been adequately considered by National Grid.

For further details go to the web site     HPCconnection@infrastructure.gsi.gov.uk