Call for part of £500m fund to bury power cables in Shropshire and Mid Wales

Clive Knowles, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, said money set aside by National Grid in its "Visual Impact Provision Project" should be used to help those affected by a pylon line planned for Shropshire and Mid Wales.

He said: "Naturally I think they absolutely should try to protect Shropshire and use some of this fund to ensure that what they are doing has the least visual impact possible."

The project is specifically intended for National Parks and Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) with eight being shortlisted for qualify for the half a billion pound fund.

National Grid is currently consulting on a 33-mile long power line from Cefn Coch in Powys to Lower Frankton in Shropshire.

The company has agreed to bury cables for eight miles through the Vyrnwy Valley because of the visual effect, but Mr Knowles is now calling for funding to be made available to reduce the impact of pylons in Shropshire.

He said: "The visual impact will be absolutely devastating to us. We rely on our vista, our surroundings, the atmosphere – everything we do relates to the outdoors.

"If there is a fund then we need that fund to be made available in Shropshire. Anything that can be used to mitigate what they are doing, should be used.

"They are supposed to be doing a tourism report investigating the impact of what they are doing on the amount of tourists who visit, and for us being reliant on tourism it is crucially important we protect the whole area, not just ourselves."

Mr Knowles said that even though not officially designated as an AONB, Shropshire's countryside should still be protected,

Hector Pearson, planning policy manager, National Grid, said the scheme had been launched to hide the impact of pylons.

He said: "While grazing sheep and stone walls and bridges may add to the beauty of our hills and valleys, we all know there are some aspects of this natural environment which could be enhanced."

A total of 12 areas have been shortlisted to receive funding from the project, including Brecon Beacons National Park, Dorset AONB, High Weald AONB, North Wessex Downs AONB, and New Forest National Park.

Joyce Watson, Labour Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, has also called for Wales' national parks to benefit from the fund. She said: "We all benefit from the UK's extensive electricity network – but this project provides a real opportunity to help reduce the impact on our treasured landscapes."