Villagers fear electricity pylon plans

Worried residents fear there is no escape for their Mid Wales village from electricity pylons which could be built across the region.

Dozens of villagers went to National Grid's latest exhibition in Forden, near Welshpool, yesterday as it consults on plans for a substation in Abermule, near Newtown, or Cefn Coch, near Llanfair Caereinion, and pylons in Mid Wales and Shropshire.

But villagers fear no matter where the substation is located the pylons will be built through the village carrying power from windfarms set to be built by Newtown.

Marjorie Johnson, from the village, said: "From what I understand the pylons will be on either one side of the village or the other and there will be no escape.

"It is terribly worrying as it will completely ruin our beautiful countryside.

"There was a fabulous turnout at a meeting against the plans in the village last week and I don't think we'll go down without a fight."

But Roger Williamson said he feared there was little they could do to stop the pylons from being built.

"They've already made their minds up and they will be coming no matter what," he said.

"Consultation events like this is just lip service to residents, they'll go ahead and build them where they want, no doubt.

"They probably know exactly where they will put them but they have go to be seen to be asking us for our opinions."

Katherine Jones, also from Forden, said she felt for the people of Abermule and Cefn Coch.

She said: "Depending on where they put the substation, the value of their homes will surely plummet.

"We will have our landscape ruined to some extent, but surely not to the extent they will.

"They are talking in huge numbers for the size of the power station and this is just a few large pylons."

A spokesman for the National Grid said it was holding consultation events across the region to find a potential route for a 400,000-volt cable, using 46-metre high pylons or by routing the wires underground.

The next consultation event will tomorrow in Middleton Village Hall, near Welshpool, from 2pm to 8pm.

By Andrew Morris