Shropshire landowners told to give surveyors access
People in Shropshire living along the preferred route for a high voltage power line to link wind farms in mid Wales to the National Grid could soon be told they must let surveyors onto their land, a meeting has heard.
Controversial powers allow National Grid staff to gain access to land along the suggested corridor for the pylons linking a proposed electricity substation at Cefn Coch to the north south power line at Frankton, near Ellesmere.
The refusal of some landowners across the Welsh border in the Meifod and Llansanffraid area to allow access led to bailiffs being involved in land access issues recently.
At a meeting in Llanymynech last night, anti pylon protestor, Martin Clare, warned that National Grid officials could soon be crossing the border into Shropshire.
Speaking to the St Oswald and Llanymynech local joint committee Mr Clare said it had been expected that the detailed route for the pylons, within 200 metres, would be announced at the end of July.
"But with the problems of access in Montgomeryshire, holding things up I don't think that this timetable will be met."
Another campaigner, Charles Green, said that following bailiff problems in Wales the Welsh NFU and National Grid had drawn up a code of conduct for allowing access onto land.
"I hope that the same type of agreement can be worked out with the National Grid and the NFU in Shropshire," he said.
Mr Clare said the pylon route was due to skirt the edge of Llanymynech. But he said the village could also be affected by heavy vehicles taking turbine blades and other equipment for the construction of wind farms in Mid Wales.
Llanymynech and Pant are village split in half by the A483 trunk road. The road has been earmarked as a route for construction traffic.
