Must be horrible to see small pylons out of your windows---Massive industrial buildings will be OK though!!

Some people around Berleley are very lucky, Views of the Cotswolds will be enhanced--Views of The Severn can be comprimised!

Plan to remove overhead Gloucestershire cables19 12 2009


A £1.6 million plan to remove disused overhead lines across the Cotswolds is underway.

The project, being carried out by Southern Electric Power Distribution, is set to improve views in Berkeley, Breadstone and Cam.

The project, which will see 41km of overhead lines and around 140 80ft pylons removed, is due to finish by December 2010.

Project design manager, Jonathan Ebel, said: “The lines have been superseded by more modern versions on a different grid, so we are confident we have no need for this part of the network any more.

“While we’re removing the network for operational reasons, the bonus for residents on the edges of Berkeley, Breadstone and Cam is that they may prefer the new and improved views from their back windows.”

The redundant lines and pylons run from Berkeley village to Minety village, west of Swindon and are linked to a disused power station in Berkeley.

Special care has been taken to avoid harming the environment and wildlife along the way.

“In advance of removing each pole or pylon, we conducted hand searches of the ground, clearing the vegetation first, then searching for any sign of the protected amphibians,” said Mr Ebel.

The first phase of the work, which took two years to plan, has already been completed.

The work crossed the A38, including a motorway and two railway crossings.

Steve Wyatt co-ordinated the search for amphibians during the phase.

Mr Wyatt, of environmental consultancy Wardell Armstrong, said: “The vegetation was cleared very carefully and our ecologist was able to check each pylon footing as it was dug out to ensure we didn’t miss anything.”

The second phase of the dismantlement, involving a 15km stretch from Cam to Chavenage Green, near Tetbury, will start early next summer.

The remaining phase from Chavenage Green, past Tetbury through to Minety, will start in the autumn.