Rural sector welcomes decision to take Lake District power line underground
National Grid looks set to spare the Lake District National Park from the prospect of 50 metre tall pylons being built through 24km of the park.
As part of its North West Coast Connections project, National Grid plans to run 400kV cables around the west of Cumbria from Carlisle in the north to Heysham in the south to provide connections from the proposed Moorside power station to the electricity grid.
It has now confirmed that it plans to look at putting 14.5 miles of new line underground through the entire western section of the Lake District National Park. This could also see the existing lines there being removed completely, leaving this part of the park free of pylons for the first time in 50 years.
Farming has a special place in the Lake District National Park at the heart of its communities, a core part of the economy and shaping the landscape over centuries.
Farmers feared the tall pylons would blight the rural landscape around them.
Landscape protection charity Friends of the Lake District has been running a national campaign to stop the construction of pylons within the Lake District and has welcomed the news.
Douglas Chalmers, Chief Executive at Friends of the Lake District said: “We have fought a long and well-supported campaign to stop these giant pylons being built within the Lake District National Park and we’re delighted that the stunning landscape within the park has been spared from a line of 50 metre tall pylons.
“National Grid should be congratulated for listening to public opinion and respecting the designation of national park status which affords the Lake District landscape the highest level of protection in the UK.”
Kim Hagen, Senior Energy Campaigner at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “It's brilliant news that National Grid proposes to underground all of the planned cables through the National Park. This would be a great victory for one of our most cherished landscapes.
“It would mean the character and beauty of the Lake District is protected for generations to come. Let's hope this sets new standards for the future.”
