An Update for the people of Polstead
Stour Valley Underground (SVU) has always stood firm against
nimbyism and believed that unblighted countryside such as
that along National Grid's corridors 3 & 4 should not be
spoiled with lines of pylons. This led us to consider that if an
overground solution was essential then it should follow the
existing power lines. But our search for a solution that is right
for ALL of us has led us to reject all corridors - because we have
a better solution to offer and we are writing to ask you to
consider and comment on it.
SVU, like all of the people of this area have gone
through a learning process that was initially focussed on looking
at National Grid's abhorrent proposals for pylons. We developed an
underground cabling strategy using twin underground tunnels that
would enable the power transmission capacity to be built up as need
demanded, thus staggering the financial investment over time.
But even this did not suit everyone and seemed to be a
disproportionate investment which left many areas blighted with
pylons. So we stepped back and took a far wider view of the energy
distribution problem NG was addressing.
Despite the name of the pressure group instituted by some
Essex Parish Councils, Stour Valley Underground have, after a
great deal of research developed a strategy which in time
completely removes the need for any pylons in the
valley.
We in Britain are all moving into a new era in electricity
generation and distribution and in future electricity will be
generated by low carbon methods almost entirely around the coast
and offshore on wind farms. SVU have developed a strategy that
transmits all of this power via undersea cables and creates a sort
of ring main for the whole country, eventually (by
2040) allowing the biggest (400kV) pylons to be removed. We
argue that the first step in building this ring main should be
installing an undersea link from Sizewell to Tilbury, taking the
power direct to London, where it will be needed. Within the Stour
Valley, the existing local distribution power lines would then be
buried underground thus ridding our beautiful landscape of the
blight of pylons.
SVU is collaborating with other local organisations in putting
together a fulsome response to National Grid's irresponsible
proposals and this will argue that:-
- The consultation process has not fulfilled National Grids
statutory obligations in that it has not made the public aware of
all the options available.
- That the people of this area utterly reject all of the pylon
"corridors" because they are environmentally irresponsible and that
if an overland route was required, it should be achieved with
tunnels underground, and should therefore travel in a straight line
the whole route from Bramford to Twinstead. But this is not the
best solution because there is a better way.
- That bulk electricity distribution should be achieved
throughout the UK by replacing the pylon lines with undersea cables
and the development of this should start with an undersea link from
Sizewell to London.
Please
see www.stourvalleyunderground.org.uk and
click on "The UK Ring Main" for details
- That all of the lower voltage local distribution cables should
be buried.
- That a target date for all of this to be completed should be
2040.
Now you may be thinking that this all sounds like a huge leap
and a little fanciful but back in July, the Chief Executive of
National Grid was reported in the Independent newspaper as having
described using the undersea method mentioned above as a
"no-brainer", meaning that you hardly had to think about it to
realise that the subsea method was the right way to go!
So what we are offering you is a strategy that is right for
Polstead and right for the country. We respectfully ask that you
look at the draft proposal which is available on our web site and
amend your web site to reflect our developed position. We are
convinced that you will find our proposals both compelling and
exciting and hope you will see that we have been working to find a
solution for us all. We look forward to hearing your response to
what we are suggesting and please let us know if we can help you in
developing your response to NG's consultation.
David Holland SVU
For fuller information go to the SVU website
at
www.stourvalleyunderground.org.uk or
phone David Holland on Twinstead 269693.