Nailsea campaign to fight new 400,000 volt electricity line

Residents have launched a campaign to fight controversial plans to put a new 400,000 volt electricity line through the countryside around Nailsea.

Scores of people packed a special meeting this week to discuss plans by National Grid to create a new overhead line from Bridgwater to Avonmouth to bring electricity from the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point on to its transmission network.

The power giant is looking at a series of options for the new line, along two route corridors – one of which would cut through the countryside from Wraxall to Backwell and Nailsea.

The line would come over Wraxall Hill and past the school and church and then down alongside The Elms before crossing Backwell Common, going along the railway line and Backwell Lake towards Youngwood Lane.

If the scheme got the go ahead it would see new 160ft towering pylons installed.

Residents have now launched the Save Our Valley campaign, pledging to fight the proposal tooth and nail.

They plan to launch a website, petition and leaflet campaign and hold a public meeting at the end of November for local residents to air their views on the scheme to National Grid bosses.

Save Our Valley spokeswoman Sue Turner said : "We need to make it clear to National Grid the huge groundswell of public opinion against these proposals.

"There are already pylons around Nailsea and even more will transform the countryside into an industrial landscape – it will be like having an electric fence around the town.

"These towering pylons – the size of two large oak trees – will dominate the landscape and ruin our countryside, cutting through swathes of our green belt. A lot of people also have serious health concerns about the pylons and feel it is not the sort of environment they want to bring their children up in.

"We want people to come and join us and help campaign against this proposal.

"National Grid seems to think that Nailsea is just a small settlement and the new line will just affect a scattering of homes. But this is not the case and these pylons will affect thousands of people."

Other options being considered include decommissioning its existing 132,000 volt line, which runs parallel to the M5, and adopting the same route for the new one.