Groton Pylon Alliance

                      “Preserving Suffolk’s countryside”

                                    Press Release – GPA’s 3^rd public meeting held on 21^st January, 2010

South Suffolk conservation group the Groton Pylon Alliance held its third public meeting last Thursday evening at Dove Barn, Groton with another packed audience of  over 200 people from some 27 or so villages in the south Suffolk area.

All 17 villages which form the Alliance, and back its campaign against National Grid’s proposals to build a new 26 to 30km 400kV overhead power line through the unspoilt south Suffolk countryside, were represented. Local politicians also attended and contributed to the debate, including Tim Yeo MP and county councillors Jeremy Pembroke and Kathy Pollard.

The Alliance updated those present on:-

• the Alliance’s continuing dialogue with National Grid
• the landscape and visual assessment undertaken by its landscape and environmental consultants, LDA Design
• the report the Alliance has delivered to Suffolk County Council and Babergh District Council outlining the Alliance’s objections

The Alliance highlighted:-

• that the vast majority of the feedback given to the Alliance, including from its 17 member parish councils, indicates a strong local objection to corridors 3 and 4 as an entirely new and unnecessary blight on the south Suffolk landscape
• the growing consensus in most of south Suffolk that the proposal for corridor 2 is the least worst solution as it involves the upgrading of existing infrastructure
• the importance of people writing to National Grid with their objections prior to the end of the consultation process on 28^th February

However, the Alliance also emphasised that as a conservation group for south Suffolk:-

• it is seeking the most favourable solution for the countryside within the short timeframe available before the National Grid consultation process ends – now less then 35 days
• it continues to engage with other local campaign and conservation groups, as it has been doing with the Stour Valley Underground for some months, to ensure that the impact of any new line is mitigated and as much undergrounding as possible takes place, particularly in sensitive areas such as the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• advocates the need for a national debate as to the long-term future of electricity and energy distribution and the use of modern technologies such as undergrounding and undersea alternatives

Reflecting on the meeting, Colin Blackmore, Chairman of the Alliance said:-

"We would like to thank the many people who attended our third public meeting on Thursday evening, including Tim Yeo and a number of our elected representatives.

We respect the views of all the groups and communities potentially affected by the proposals and were very pleased that our meeting provided a forum for a range of views to be expressed.

As a conservation group for south Suffolk we look forward to both continuing our work with all those who value the south Suffolk countryside beyond the end of the National Grid consultation process and also contributing to the debate the Alliance wishes to see in relation to the future of electricity distribution in the UK and the use of modern technologies such as undergrounding and undersea alternatives.”

The GPA can be contacted on contact@grotonpylonalliance.co.uk