Overhead power line route for Shropshire to be published

Scottish Power Energy Networks, which is behind the £18 million scheme, said the next step of the project is to publish its proposed route in late October.

The firm has also revealed it received more than 120 responses as part of the initial consultation, which it is currently reviewing.

Paul Ferguson, a spokesman for SP Energy Networks, said: "The initial consultation closed on September 9, and we were very encouraged by the response we received. In total more than 120 responses were received from members of the public, local councils and statutory bodies.

"The project team is now reviewing each of these responses, and they will be taken into consideration for the next stage of our project, which is to establish a proposed route ahead of the stage two consultation in 2017. Generally we received positive comments."

on our proposed investment and the chosen wood pole design.

"The next step will see us publish our proposed route in late October via a newsletter, which will be sent to approximately 2,500 homes and businesses across the region, as well as local authorities and statutory consultees."

The upgrade will benefit Oswestry, Wem and Whitchurch as well as surrounding villages and will see a new 132,000-volt overhead power line built between Oswestry and Wem.

Current details show the proposal is to build a new line between Oswestry substation, located at the A5/A495 roundabout, and Wem substation, on Ellesmere Road on the western side of Wem.

It is hoped construction on the new line will start by 2020 and take about 12 months to complete.

SP Energy Networks said the new power line will provide additional capacity in the region to support business investment and new residential developments across the region.

It said the new 132,000-volt wooden pole line is the most appropriate solution after investigating a number of options for reinforcing the network.

It plans to build the new overhead line using a wood pole Trident design – a design which it said is a tried and tested, constructed most recently for reinforcing the electricity distribution network between Legacy substation and Oswestry substation.

SP Energy Networks has particularly been keen to get feedback on the preferred line route in terms of its location and limits, and the likely environmental impacts of the preferred line route and its associated construction works, such as storage areas for equipment.

Initial consultation events were held in Whittington, near Oswestry, Wem, and Cockshutt and Hordley, both near Ellesmere.