- Lobby your local MP. In this case it’s Liam Fox, who has so far backed the Corridor 1 route while asking EDF for details of costings for underground routing
- Support our campaign by petitioning the government at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/HinkleyConnction
- Raise awareness of National Grid’s plans by telling people you know.
- Click here to support the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) by writing to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in response to the separate consultation on the new national policy statement.
Who to contact
The Prime Minister
Petition Gordon Brown by either going to the ‘Petition’ tab above or by using the link here: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/HinkleyConnction
Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Email: – ps.ed.miliband@decc.gsi.gov.uk
Dr Liam Fox, North Somerset MP
Write to: – 71, High Street, Nailsea, North Somerset BS48 1AW
Email: – douglasi@parliament.uk.
Other politicians (find their contact details using this link)
North Somerset Councillors for Yatton
Contact one of the following:
Ericka Blades – email: Ericka.blades@n-somerset.gov.uk
Jill Iles – email: jill.iles@n-somerset.gov.uk
Tony Moulin – email: tony.moulin@n-somerset.gov.uk
Write to one of these councillors at
North Somerset Council, Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1UJ
Yatton Parish Council
Write to: – Yatton Library, High Street, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4HJ
Telephone: – 01934 426473;
Email: clerk@yatton-pc.gov.uk
Key points to make
Write or email your own concerns – here are some key points you might like to include.
No information about other alternatives
- Why is it necessary to link Hinkley to Avonmouth – and what other alternatives have been considered?
- National Grid should be doing more to thoroughly examine the feasibility of other options. We would like to see a full costing for running cables up the Bristol Channel from Hinkley to Avonmouth. The UK already has high power cables under the sea. Another alternative would be burying them underground as already happens in some other countries where cables are buried alongside motorways or in areas where they don’t impact on wildlife or residents quality of life.
- When asked about other options we have just been told by National Grid it is too expensive so have they really been considered and costed properly?
Environmental & visual damage to moorland and countryside
- Corridor 2 causes particular concern as it runs alongside ‘The Strawberry Line’ a recreational trail along the former route of the Cheddar Valley Railway from Cheddar to Yatton. This is a local nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It also has a walking & cycling track with seating and wildlife information. This is enjoyed by a very large number of local people of all ages including mothers walking young children. It is a real asset to the area and would be ruined by massive pylons.
- The whole area has many footpaths offering access to the countryside which are widely used and highly valued by the people in this area.
- Massive pylons would scar the beautiful landscape for generations to come.
Attractiveness of Yatton as a place to live
- The proposed pylons, corridor 2 in particular, will be in close proximity to a considerable number of existing houses. People chose these houses in Yatton for the amenities Yatton offers including open unspoiled countryside which will be ruined.
- Houses within sight and sound of the new pylons will have thousands of pounds knocked off their value and make their sale difficult.
- There would be a wider negative impact on houses throughout the area as fewer people would be interested in relocating to an area close to massive pylons.
Health
- People have significant concerns particularly about having high voltage cables close to their homes. Experts have suggested that these are a health hazard. Numerous reports have linked electricity pylons to increased rates of leukaemia in children and those living in the shadows of pylons are more likely to suffer from depression. The government may not have accepted that these cables cause health problems but it is a risk that most people are not prepared to take.
- People are very concerned about their family’s health, particularly those with young children.
The consultation process
- The consultation process has been very poor for plans which have such a profound impact on those living in Yatton.
- National Grid posted letters with envelopes ‘To The Occupier’ rather than alerting residents with personally addressed letters. Many of these were put in recycling bins as they looked like junk mail.
- The map on the printed leaflet enclosed with the letter did not contain sufficient information to alert residents to the real impact of the proposals. For instance, Yatton was not even labelled on the map and residents had no idea how close the pylons could be to their homes.
- There have been no proper consultation meetings, only cramped exhibitions.
- We have been given only 12 weeks to discuss and respond to the proposals, two weeks of which are over Christmas and the New Year.
