COUNTRYSIDE CAMPAIGNERS CALL ON NATIONAL GRID TO 'GO THE EXTRA MILE'

Friends of the Peak District, the National Park Society, is calling for National Grid to improve the amenity of scenic Dunford Bridge and the nearby Thurlstone Moors by removing the pylons and electricity wires that dominate the landscape.

National Grid are currently proposing £50 million refurbishment works of the transmission lines that carry power between major Yorkshire power stations and Greater Manchester. This will involve replacing the wires that currently pass through the disused railway tunnels that run from Dunford Bridge, near Penistone, to Woodhead in the Longdendale Valley. The work is projected to take place this Autumn and needs to be approved by the Peak District National Park Authority before it can commence.

Friends of the Peak believe that National Grid have not consulted widely enough on these major plans and that, given the size of the financial investment, more could have been done to conserve and enhance the environment of the National Park and reduce the impact of the huge pylons on the residents of Dunford Bridge. FPD have suggested that instead the wires be placed underground along the old railway line.

National Grid’s current plans are simply not good enough to meet their environmental commitments in National Parks said Andy Tickle, Head of Planning and Campaigning at the Friends, they need to go the extra mile, both in consulting properly with local interests and also offering real and significant enhancements as part of their refurbishment package.

The refurbishment in the Woodhead tunnels may also jeopardise re-opening the railway lines in the future which is contrary to planning policies agreed by the National Park Authority, Barnsley Council and the Yorkshire & Humber Regional Assembly. A decision by the National Park Authority’s Planning Committee is due on Friday (13 July).