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Published:
November
26,
2009
Burnham-On-Sea
Lib Dem attacks plans for 'ill-considered' pylons
Burnham-On-Sea's
Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate has this week hit out
at the National Grid's consultation process over a new corridor
of electricity pylons being proposed to run through our area.
Tessa
Munt, who lives in Mark, attacked the "ill-considered"
proposals and said the consultation process has been a "sham."
As
first reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com in
September, the National Grid wants to connect the proposed
new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point to a new sub-station
near Bristol - a distance of 37 miles.
Two
potential 'route corridors' for the huge pylons have been identified,
with one running close to East Huntspill, Watchfield, Mark and
Bason Bridge.
 Tessa,
pictured above holding a map displaying the two routes, told Burnham-On-Sea.com:
"During my two hours at the National Grid exhibition in Mark,
I heard different answers to the same questions."
"Consultation,
judging by National Grid's attempt, is like some ghastly timeshare
sales pitch. My dilemma is that Option A is in the wrong location,
is ill-considered and not value for money, and Option B is also
in the wrong location, is ill-considered and not value for money.
In the National Grid's exercise in sham democracy, there isn't
a ' none of the above' option and I want one."
"I
also object to the timing of this consultation. Between now and
the deadline of January 4th there are school holidays, Christmas,
New Year and postal services disrupted by the seasonal surge of
cards and letters."
"This
whole exercise is designed to split our communities right down
the middle, setting one village against another. The time has
come to stand together as one Somerset."
"But
many residents don’t yet know what's going on. I’ve
met dozens of local people who didn’t get a letter about
these proposals."
Tessa
says she plans to write to every resident in the villages most
affected by the plans to ensure they know what's coming.
 "Using
1950s technology for a 21st century project is unacceptable,"
she added.
"When
the National Grid’s spin-doctors were challenged about alternatives,
such as putting the lines underground, using super-conductors
to go under the River Severn like they do in other parts of Europe,
or using the land along the M5 which is blighted already, they
resorted to threats about 'the costs'."
"But
we’re going to be paying the costs of whatever they do through
our electricity bills for the next 60 years as they continue to
pay fantastic salaries to their Board and dividends to their American
and European shareholders. However,
this is not just about money. The cynical National Grid - to quote
Oscar Wilde – ‘knows the cost of everything, but the
value of nothing’. Its spinners will call our objections
‘nimbyism’ and wave away the facts."
"These
proposals will ruin our countryside, wreck our tourism, and compromise
forever our chances of gaining World Heritage Site status. Visitors
are essential to Somerset’s economy. Who will want to visit
or holiday in a county whose countryside is scarred by these vast,
152ft ugly metal towers, humming continuously and lit like Christmas
trees – only all year round?"
"National
Grid’s consultation should be a consultation. It should give
us all the information we need to make an informed decision."
Tessa
added: "I want to know how long the routes are, and what
the real costs are if National Grid put the power lines underwater
in the Bristol Channel, on land alongside the M5 corridor, underground
along National Grid’s favoured routes, or overland on those
routes as they currently propose."
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