GROTON PYLON ALLIANCE - SECOND PUBLIC MEETING
Dove Barn, Groton
Monday 23rd November, 2009
Attendance and village representation
This meeting was attended by over 230 people, with representatives from the 13 current members of the Alliance and councillors/members of the public from 11 other villages.
The 13 current members of the Alliance are:
Groton, Kersey, Chelsworth, Milden, Edwardstone, Boxford, Aldham, Elmsett, Lindsey, Little Waldingfield, Nedging-with-Naughton, Semer and Whatfield.
Also present were representatives from:
Acton, Assington, Bildeston, Cornard Tye, Great Waldingfield, Hintlesham, Monks Eleigh, Newton, Offton, Stoke by Nayland and Twinstead.
The Chairman, Colin Blackmore (Groton), welcomed everyone to another packed meeting and introduced Vice President Andrew Cumming (Kersey) and Alliance committee member John Ramsay (Chelsworth). Also mentioned was Alliance committee member Juliet Hawkins (Milden) who was attending a meeting at Monks Eleigh Parish Council on behalf of the Alliance.
Chairman’s report
The Chairman reported on:-
(i) the significant expansion of the Alliance to 13 villages with potentially further villages to join in the coming weeks;
(ii) the creation of the Alliance’s website;
(iii) a meeting that he, Andrew Cumming and Peter Gowan (the GPA’s technical consultant) had held with National Grid; and.
(iv) the Route Corridor Study from National Grid’s consultants, TEP, and commented that the Alliance would shortly commission a report from landscape consultants to review and challenge a number of issues raised in the TEP report.
Alliance strategy
He then explained the strategy that had now been agreed upon between the members of the Alliance, namely that as a conservation group the Alliance is seeking the most favourable solution for the countryside and the least obtrusive impact on the landscape of south Suffolk.
He added that the Alliance takes the collective view, having consulted locally and received feedback since early September 2009 from the thirteen villages that it represents as well as others in the area, that:-
· the proposals for corridors 3 and 4 are the most damaging for the countryside, creating as they would a new scar on the landscape; and
· relatively speaking, corridor 2 is the least worst solution, involving as it does the taking down of an existing power line and replacing it with a new, albeit larger, power line with fewer pylons.
However, the Chairman emphasised that the Alliance is also very conscious that corridor 2 runs through picturesque countryside, including an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Therefore, although the Alliance will be vigorously objecting to the proposals for corridors 3 and 4, it will also work with other local campaign and conservation groups to:-
· ensure that as much as possible is done to minimise the effect of any new line on corridor 2 using modern technology; and
· also seek to improve the existing situation along corridor 2 – for example, by undergrounding as much of the chosen route as possible, especially in sensitive areas along that route such as the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Supporting the Alliance’s campaign
Three ways to help the campaign were identified:-
1) Raising awareness by talking to villagers, neighbours and contacts.
2) Writing to National Grid and copy all letters to GPA. (Proforma letters were distributed later in the meeting).
3) Making a donation.
The Chairman then introduced the Alliance’s Treasurer, Nick Roberts, who explained the ways that payments could be made – i.e. by cheque, bank transfer or credit card. Details can be found on the website.
Nick Roberts stressed the need to raise adequate funds to pay for expert advice in order to mount an effective and credible campaign and that the Alliance’s target figure was £50,000 in this respect.
Comments and questions from the floor
After the initial presentations, the meeting was opened to comments and questions.
Among those who spoke were Robert Erith, the Chair of the Dedham Vale and Stour Valley Partnership and also of the Dedham Vale Society. He commented that he understood the strategy explained by the Alliance’s Chairman and supported it saying that he did not want to see a new overhead route along corridor 3 or 4. He stressed that his own organisations would do everything possible to underground cables if Corridor 2 was chosen, and they would also work to extend the existing AONB. He would be meeting with the Chief Executive of National Grid to express concerns and discuss possible solutions.
Richard Barnes of Stour Valley Underground also confirmed that his organisation understood and supported the Alliance’s strategy having met the Alliance previously. He also said that his group had met with representatives from the AONB, and that the SVU was keen to underground as much as possible. He mentioned the technology of undergrounding through tunnelling, which SVU would actively pursue as an alternative to overhead lines.
Jeremy Pembroke, the Leader of Suffolk County Council, said that he hoped SCC and Babergh District Council would speak with one voice on this issue. Councillors would be reviewing and visiting the path of all four routes shortly. He personally would not be leading the SCC response as he wished to take part in the discussion as a concerned resident. He said he would fight strongly in support of the Alliance’s strategy and urged others to get behind their campaign. Neither corridors 3 or 4 should be chosen as the preferred corridor and the campaign groups should join forces to seek to underground as much as possible of Corridors 1 or 2, whichever route was chosen.
Many other points were raised, among them the following:
n According to National Grid, RAF Wattisham will apparently not challenge Corridors 3 and 4 if one of them is chosen – although this needs to be confirmed. It was also pointed out that there are other small airfields along these routes, not all of which had been identified by National Grid
n It was felt essential that NG make use of the latest technology and that NG should be challenged to underground as much as possible
n The short nature of the consultation period was mentioned
n Questions were asked about the success of previous campaigns, such as that in the Vale of York
n The EU approach to undergrounding should be examined
n Health risks were raised
In response to some of these points, Vice Chairman Andrew Cumming assured the meeting that these matters and many others were being taken up in meetings with National Grid and their advisers, and that the Alliance would continue to press NG in these respects.
In closing the meeting, the Chairman urged all present to follow developments through the Alliance website, and urge friends and contacts to log on regularly.