Local Conservative campaigner, James Heappey, has played a key part in developing an amendment to the Energy Bill that could prove decisive in the battle against electricity pylons.
Having left the Army in September, James has been working in the Parliamentary office of North Somerset MP, Dr Liam Fox. James explains, “my time working with Liam has been a great opportunity to see how Parliament works. Pylons are an issue that affect both his constituency in North Somerset and our local community here in Mark and the surrounding area. It has been great to use my time in his office to advance the fight against them.”
The amendment to the Energy Bill aims to make small changes to the 1989 Electricity Act by legislating for National Grid to take account of the “visual amenity of the countryside” – or how it looks - when deciding on how to transmit electricity. If the amendment is successful in its passage through Parliament it could mean a fundamental change in the way National Grid thinks about pylons.
“The amendment must now be chosen by the Speaker for debate and then voted on by the House of Commons, so there is still quite a way to go.” says James. “However, sitting around in meetings and promising to ‘look at options’ was never going to solve anything so I’m very proud to have used my six months with Liam to really advance this issue. I now call on our current MP to get behind my work and support the amendment on its journey through Parliament. This will make a real difference to local people.”
A Quick Guide To The Pylon Problem
Overhead power lines supported by pylons is, by far, the most common way of moving electricity from power stations to people’s homes. There are already around 22,000 pylons and the National Grid is currently planning to expand that network further with another 300 miles worth of power lines and another 1,000 pylons intended for England and Wales in the coming years.
The new power station at Hinkley Point may bring jobs and investment to our area but it also brings the need for new power lines too. The pylons that will support these new lines will be twice the height of our current pylons.
The technology exists to put the power cables underground (it is already used widely in our cities, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and there are new technologies for under-sea transmission too. Using these less visible forms of transmission does come at an additional cost but is likely to be a relatively small amount when divided between all energy bill payers. This is surely a cost worth paying when set against the environmental cost of stringing more power lines across our countryside.
Currently The National Grid – who have responsibility for the transmission of electricity – apply some measures known as The Holford Rules when deciding on where and how to transmit electricity. These rules are built on the premise that ‘undergrounding’ of power lines should only be considered in urban areas and in designated areas of “highest amenity value”. That’s fine if you live in a city, National Park or AONB but what if you live in the equally wonderful countryside elsewhere?
Moreover, more recent legislation on the building of mobile phone masts has introduced a requirement for phone companies to take account of the impact on visual amenity regardless of whether the mast be sited in a National Park, AONB or elsewhere. The Fox Amendment, if approved by Parliament, will make the National Grid think about the visual impact of pylons on the countryside and could be a major milestone in the battle against pylons in Somerset.