Welcome to the Yatton Against Pylons forum page. Please post your comments on National Grid’s proposals here.
-
Show your support for the campaign by downloading and printing a copy of our A4 size poster. Display it in your window or in a public place and spread the word!
-
There is a third way. There has been a secret competition to design a new pylon, but the self-important architects forgot to look properly at the design constraints.
Here is a design which considers only the real constraints, and the result is a pylon of remarkably low visual impact.
Look at the documents you can find at:
.
Pylons.pdf is the descriptive document. Other documents are from politicians of various humility and inteligence.
Coming soon, a new concept in party planning and event management for the south west including Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Inspiral Parties will take the art of organising all types of private and corporate events to a new level. Our business will be exemplified by the highest levels of creativity and the finest attention to detail leading to some of the most memorable parties ever being enjoyed by our clients and their guests. http://www.inspiralparties.com
Thought people may like to see an interesting article about Pylons on the bbc website. I have already posted about Yatton and this forum. The bbc have also posted the URL! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13473408
Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow; I hope the cafe can cope! If pylons were the only way of transmitting electricity then that would be that and there wouldn’t be much point in fighting it. But there are other options. Interestingly I spoke to NG a couple of weeks ago and was told that the report from the Institute of Engineering Technology (of which I am a member) has been delayed at least until May. I will await their comments with great interest.
I am pleased the Spring Walk is taking place on 16 April to remind people how lucky we are to have the Strawberry Line on our doorstep. I will be there – and looking forward to seeing the trees coming into blossom and leaf, hearing the chiff chaff calling and joining many other people who care about our local environment and don’t want it blighted with these pylons. And what a great choice of meeting place and venue for the walk!
In response to Chris below. The campaign groups in Somerset have the benefit of advice from a health physicist. Peer-reviewed academic research does show that there are risks associated with living in proximity to EMFs and don’t forget we are talking about voltage 3 times greater than most of the current research. I wonder where you get your advice on this issue from on, Chris. I don’t imagine it’s from someone who is an expert in this area of physics.
hello,
I am a student studying Art at Cardiff’s School of Art and Design and have lived in Congresbury for over 10 years. I am very concerned about the proposal and have signed various petitions and wrote letters to the National Grid and the council. I want to base my current work around this issue and was wondering if I could ask a favour. Would anyone be able to email me there letters of complaint and opposal, this would help my research dramatically and would be very appreciated.
my email adress is hpcardiffart@hotmail.co.uk
many thanks
hannah
We ALL need electricity. We all want electricity. If the Nat grid had put these pylons up last year, it is my guess that they would hardly be noticed. It is surprising how many ‘experts’ are out there all of a sudden. Just where are these ‘back yards’ that the pylons will be built? Sickness? No proof. Just let the things be built on route 1a and they will be forgotten about after a year and you will have electricity
The consultation process was inadequate and flawed from the very start when National Grid excluded Yatton from the map. The public need to be made aware of their rights to question National Grid’s proposals. Many people mistakenly believe that the building of these pylons are a foregone conclusion. In fact the plans have not even been submitted yet! We are all too aware of the risks to people’s health who live in close proximity of pylons, the environmental impact and the depreciation of house prices. We must keep the pressure on National Grid, MPs and other professional bodies to opt for the power lines to be undergound or undersea and prevent these awful monstrosities from ever being built around our village and the rest of the Somerset countryside.
Maybe we could tackle the pylon proposals through the planning process – bit dull but it could work. The new Sustainable Communities Bill (see http://www.localworks.org) gives communities more democratic power over proposed developments and could be used in our favour. However it is under ongoing development so we need to demand that it be used for this purpose.
1. Ask our MP, Liam Fox to “Please sign Early Day Motion No. 143 in support of the Sustainable Communities Act Amendment Bill and please urge relevant Government Ministers to give the Bill the time it needs in Parliament so that it becomes law by the general election”.
2. Ask our North Somerset councillors to use the Sustainable Communities Bill to protect communities and wildlife from the threat of high voltage pylons so that this is incorporated into the Bill. (North Somerset Council is one of the councils that have already used the Bill so they are aware of it and support its use).
All the best,
Rosa
Hi there,
Just wanted to let you know I’ve written to North Somerset Councillors and our MP Liam Fox, plus the Parish Council about the proposed pylons. As an environmental scientist and mother of two young children my main concern is the potential health effects of the pylons.
I think we should be campaigning to use the new Sustainable Communities Bill to give local people democratic powers in the planning decisions affecting them. North Somerset Council has already used this Bill which is a good sign that they see its potential, but the more it is applied in different situations the more powerful it will become because it is under an ongoing process of development.
There is also an argument for using the Precautionary Principle established in European Environmental Law that wherever there is a suspected environmental risk (e.g. electromagnetic radiation from pylons causing cancer) caution should be exercised even if a causal link has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Keep up the good work everyone!
Rosa
This is wrong – there are more suitable ways of providing energy rather than sticking great big pylons up in an area of rural countryside.
Stop spoiling the countryside – enough damage has already been done – stop and save what little is left.
Think of people’s health – nothing has proved either way on the impact of these pylons – err on the side of caution surely!!!
Pylons are an eye-sore for starters.
To put them in this village will spoil the village and surrounding countryside – surely enough of this country has been spoilt already lets stop damaging whats left.
There is concern for health of the residents particularly children.
Please could you post the link to the direct.gov website that you mentioned at the council meeting on Tuesday? The one that lets us get involved with the IPC?
Thanks
I can see nothing positive about this proposal other than short term cost cutting for National Grid. I am appalled at their informing the public via ‘to the occupier’ style mailshots, knowing full well that most of these end up in the recycling box. Now we have a dealine for action that they are hoping will be forgotten over the xmas holidays. Shameful.
We have major concerns over the pylons and the location of them- and how this will effect the outlook of Yatton- not to mention health issues and house prices. The only way to put them out to sea!
There is no reason other than shareholders’ interests not to factor in the additional safety costs of underground cabling.
Since the 19th century Government have been regarded as having a duty to ensure that peoples’ health is put before profit.
I don’t agree with the “not in my back garden approach”. Either corridors will be hazardous. All the villages and towns potentially affected by either corridor must unite and campaign for the route to be built under the sea.
The electricity companies have made billions from us, their customers, and some of it should be spent by putting the cables underground! We do not want such massive eyesores in our villages, and no-one has disproved all the health scares to our satisfaction. We live in the 21st century and should not have to put up with the destruction of wildlife habitats and areas of scenic beauty. There ARE other ways to do this and our opinions must be considered.
Stop these super pylons ruining our rural village when there are other options. Often things that are easy are wrong thyre shortcuts, just like this planned route through yatton its easy and cheap, mr EDF wont worry about leukemia in his kids will he no. bet he doesnt plan a super pylon outside his house?
STOP STOP STOP STOP
Our once great country is now all about doing things at minimum cost and hang the consequences in this case to the health and welfare of its inhabitants and wildlife and continueing destruction of its countryside.
Whatever the cost of other alternatives it does not really matter, consumers will pay anyway via the product they buy. Unless its all to do with safegaurding corporate profits for corporate shareholders, probably banks amongst them.
THIS CRAZY SCHEME MUST BE HALTED AND THE ENVIROMENTLY CORRECT USE OF THE BRISTOL CHANNEL SHOULD BE FORCED UPON EDF & NG.
We are a campaign group to the South of the Mendips opposed to route 2.
Check out our website. http://www.no-moor-pylons.co.uk email action@nomoorpylons.co.uk
We are sending reps to the Friday meeting at Nailsea.
Good luck in the campaign.
Direct any mail to action@nomoorpylons.co.uk
Please publish the link to the Downing Street petition ‘to have the route built undersea in the Bristol channel’ on your website and on your correspondence.
It’s found at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/HinkleyConnction/
Regards
Mrs Hunter
Hello!
I have just e-mailed both the National Grid and Liam Fox – having never had to lobby before I’m not entirely sure what I was supposed to say but I hope I managed to get my point across!!
Here is what I sent:
Dear Mr Fox MP,
As you are aware National Grid are trying to route giant pylons through North Somerset. I have read on our local action group website (www.yattonagainstpylons.co.uk) about the meetings you have been having with the NG and energy companies to try and persuade them to route the power lines underground.
I have also been onto the NG website and posted a comment to them – how much effect it will have I dont know!
I am writing to you to ask you to keep on campaigning on our behalf to try and stop these pylons being erected around our lovely little village. It is a huge concern for everyone I have been speaking to and we dont want them!!
I have included the e-mail comment I sent to NG – unfortunately I’m not big on confrontation so prefer to try and do things politely.
Please keep talking to the people in charge and get them to change their minds.
Yours sincerely
Claire Youdale
Dear National Grid,
Having read through your route corridor study report I can see that you have an awful lot of points to take into account when planning a new route for power lines.
However, having seen that the Holford Rules are 40 years old and make no reference to public safety, should this be an area that you should be concerned with? There are various websites and news stories linking power cables to health problems in both adults and children and, personally, I think if there is even a small doubt that there could be a link then it should be at the forefront of the decision making process.
I am currently involved with our local action group opposing your Corridor 2 route that will take these power lines within yards of residential housing. I also live in housing that backs onto the Strawberry Line – an SSSI site. Apart from not wanting potential health risks within the village I also dont really want to see pylons that are twice the size of what they are now. The area around the Strawberry Line is fairly flat so I dont see how you will be able to ‘blend in’ these pylons in accordance with the Holford Rules.
I appreciate that everyone of us needs electricity to our houses and that it has to be generated on a large scale but surely public safety and our opinions count for something. The cost of routing these lines underground will be much more expensive and will impact the environment but if it is a safer option then I think it should be considered more closely.
Please listen to residents of these small villages when they say they dont want big pylons in their back yard and consider burying the cables.
Thank you for your time,
Yours sincerely