February, 2010

“Somerset County Council is the latest, and biggest, authority to condemn the consultation process for the line which would see 160ft high pylons carrying power 37 miles from a new Hinkley Point power station to a sub station at Avonmouth, near Bristol.

“A full meeting of the county council this week condemned the first round of consultation as being “fundamentally flawed”.

“The council is calling on the Secretary of State for Climate Change, the Infrastructure Planning Committee, and National Grid to ensure that a new and “fully informed” consultation takes place before any decision on the route is made, and before detailed proposals are submitted to the IPC.

“A motion proposed by county council Liberal Democrat group leader Jill Shortland, and seconded by environment portfolio holder Anthony Trollope-Bellew, said the proposals were also premature because consultations on national energy infrastructure policy is not yet complete.”

Full story reported by thisissomerset.co.uk at: http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/Consultation-new-pylons-sham/article-1850149-detail/article.html

“At a full county council meeting, councillors said National Grid’s consultation into the proposals had excluded many local people.

“The council has now called for National Grid to make all relevant information available for a new consultation.

“Protestors against the pylons had earlier on in the meeting called for a judicial review into the consultation however the council ruled it out, saying it would be too costly.”

Reported by the BBC here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8520302.stm

Representatives of campaign groups from the Somerset areas affected by National Grid’s proposals will attend a meeting of Somserset County Council this Wednesday 17th February. Reported by thisissomerset.co.uk at: http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/Pylon-protesters-set-generate-pressure/article-1834521-detail/article.html

Our February newsletter is now available for download here: YAP Newsletter Feb 2010

Copies of the newsletter are currently being distributed to all Yatton residents. Unfortunately due to a printing problem, the poster which should have accompanied the newsletter was not included. You may however download and print a copy of the poster by clicking here: YAP-Poster.pdf

Excellent article from The Times, Saturday 6th Feb, in which Griff Rhys Jones lambasts National Grid’s consultation process for a new overhead power connection in Suffolk. Sound familiar?

• http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7017154.ece

The public consultation on the draft National Policy Statements (NPS) for energy infrastructure closes on Monday 22nd Feb 2010.

Subject to the consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny, the Government intends to finalise and formally approve the energy National Policy Statements in 2010.

These National Policy Statements would then be used by the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) when it makes decisions on applications for development consent for nationally significant energy infrastructure.

The current draft documents EN1 and EN5 (see Resources page here: National Policy Statements) are written on the assumption that overhead pylons are the only economic method of electricity transmission. If these documents remain unchanged when the IPC reviews National Grid’s application, pylons will be the default accepted option. Clearly if we can change the NPS then we have a chance to affect the decision of the IPC.

The document available here: National_Policy_Statement_Consultation_Guidance_EN1_and_EN5 includes suggested comments to make in response to the NPS consultation. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has said that responses need to be factually based and unique i.e. they wont just count the number of responses!

Feel free to extract, cut and paste etc from the attached report. It is VITAL that we respond to DECC even if it is only to make just one point.

Robin Clarke
OPM
252b Gray’s Inn Road
London
WC1X 8XG

“More than 3,000 people have responded to the consultation by National Grid on its plans to erect the new line from Bridgwater to Avonmouth to bring electricity from the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point to its transmission network.” – Bristol Evening Post 4th Feb 2010

Story reported here: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Thousands-say-controversial-power-line/article-1804051-detail/article.html

Letter of 15th Jan 2010 by Cllr Anthony Trollope-Bellew, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Somerset County Council in response to National Grid consultation now added to Resources at: http://yattonagainstpylons.co.uk/links/#Responses