Consultations over windfarms power line from Mid Wales to Shropshire

The 33-mile 400 kv line will run from a substation near Cefn Coch, Llanfair Caereinion and feature eight miles of underground cables through the Meifod Valley near Oswestry under plans announced by National Grid last week.

In other areas, National Grid is proposing overhead lines and will be considering the new T-pylon, which is about 15 metres shorter than traditional steel lattice pylons.

If the windfarms are given planning permission when a continuing public inquiry ends, the line will run to the north of Llanfair Caereinion before being buried under the ground as it travels through the Meifod Valley.

It will emerge again close to Llansantffraid before turning west to cross the A483 trunk road between Four Crosses and Llanymynech on the Shropshire border.

Now the company has announced more than 20 drop-in sessions along the route to gather public opinion.

National Grid is consulting on its proposals until November 29 and is organising the events so people can ask questions and pick-up more information. The drop-in events will take place for a number of days in each village offering residents more opportunities to visit.

Jeremy Lee, Mid Wales Connection project manager, said "We've carefully developed our proposals to reduce impacts on the local area as much as possible. We will be continuing this work and undertaking a range of assessments to help establish where pylons and other equipment could be best located.

"It's really important people give us their comments as part of this. We'd like to hear what local people think is important and what we should be considering so this can influence how we develop our proposals."

Hundreds of protesters are fighting the plans and are also fighting the public inquiry into five planned wind farms in Mid Wales.

When the plans were unveiled last week, the Montgomeryshire Against Pylons group said it considers undergrounding at Meifod a move to "detach that area's opposition from the communities along the Banwy and Vyrnwy valleys and Shropshire which are going to be devastated by the pylon line."

More information, including a series of short films about how the route has been developed, and details of further ways to provide feedback, is on the project website www.midwalesconnection.com

Consultation events:

Llanfair Caereinion Public Institute

• Monday 7th October: 10am-2pm

• Tuesday 8th October: 2pm-8pm

• Wednesday 9th October: 9am-3pm

Adfa Village Hall

• Wednesday 16th October: 2pm-8pm

• Thursday 17th October: 9am-3pm

• Friday 18th October: 2pm-8pm

West Felton Village Hall

• Tuesday 29th October: 11am-5pm

• Wednesday 30th October: 2pm-8pm

• Tuesday 5th November: 11am-5pm

• Wednesday 6th November: 2pm-8pm

• Saturday 9th November: 10am-6pm

Llansantffraid Community Hall

• Thursday 10th October: 2pm-8pm

• Friday 11th October: 9am-3pm

• Saturday 12th October: 10am-4pm

• Monday 14th October: 11am-5pm

• Tuesday 15th October: 2pm-8pm

Llanymynech Community Enterprise Centre

• Monday 21st October: 2pm-8pm

• Tuesday 22nd October: 2pm-8pm

• Wednesday 23rd October: 9am-3pm

• Thursday 24th October: 9am-3pm

• Friday 25th October: 9am-3pm

Meifod Village Hall

• Thursday 31st October: 3.30pm-8pm

• Friday 1st November: 3.30pm-8pm

• Saturday 2nd November: 9am-3pm

• Thursday 7th November: 1.30pm-5.30pm

• Friday 8th November:1.30pm-7.30pm