Community information events - Autumn 2015

National Grid is holding a series of community information events starting this September.

Friends of the Lake District would encourage anyone concerned about the 32km of pylons and wires  (24km inside the Park, 18km adjacent) which will affect the landscape of the Lake District National Park to attend one of these meetings and talk to the National Grid staff. We would also suggest that you go prepared with written comments/a copy of your letter to pass on to the staff at these events to let them know how strongly you feel about the issue.

Here are a number of issues that you can raise with National Grid (thanks to Power Without Pylons for these suggestions)

• Underground – the most obvious and easily understood. It is not that costly on arable land and it disappears quickly – can you remember where the gas pipeline goes? May not be suitable in boggy marshes and rocky places but those are mostly SSSIs and National Park fells anyway which can be avoided. National Grid figures fudge costs on this technique by quoting ballpark or average amounts per kilometre. Compensation for farmers? Yes!
• Under the Duddon Estuary – if a Morecambe Bay tunnel is possible how much easier is a Duddon Estuary one? They have not even studied this so far. It will avoid scores of pylons through the sensitive Duddon Valley.
• Surface conduits, Gas Insulated Lines, cut and cover routes, to name a few others for on land.
• Part offshore, south of Eskmeals Range to Barrow in Furness (with undergrounding to south of Eskmeals). This is short enough to be AC power avoiding the “technical” problems of DC power on a longer offshore route. This was an early option which has been quietly forgotten.
• Of course, you could avoid it all with the Offshore South option. The route is feasible beyond the existing wind turbines off Walney. The procedure of laying the cables has been around since the 1950s. They do it from Ireland, France, Belgium and soon Norway to the UK already.The kit at the ends has been around a similar time, the current versions for 10-20 years. The fact that it is a nuclear plant is a red herring – it is just a commercial aversion to risk.

If it is not offshore it needs to be out of sight. We need people to push for taking the powerlines underground and under the Duddon.

September 2015

• Tuesday 15 September - 2pm - 8pm - Egremont
  Market Hall, Market Street, Egremont, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA22 2DF
• Wednesday 16 September - 2pm - 8pm - Lindal-in-Furness
  Buccleuch Hall, The Green, Lindal-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA12 0LX
• Friday 18 September - 2pm - 8pm - Seaton
  Seaton Village Hall (Welfare Hall), Welfare Lane (off Causeway Road), Seaton, Cumbria CA14 1PN
• Saturday 19 September - 10am - 3.30pm - Broughton Moor
  Broughton Moor Primary School, Broughton Moor, Maryport, Cumbria, CA15 7RZ
• Tuesday 22 September - 2pm - 8pm - Silecroft
  Silecroft Village Hall, Main Street, Silecroft, Millom, Cumbria, LA18 4NU
• Wednesday 23 September - 2pm - 8pm - Ravenglass
  Muncaster Parish Hall, Main Street, Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SQ
• Thursday 24 September - 2pm - 8pm - Beckermet
  Beckermet Reading Rooms, Sellafield Road, Beckermet, Cumbria, CA21 2XN
• Friday 25 September - 2pm - 8pm - Broughton-in-Furness
  The Victory Hall, Station Road, Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA20 6HN
• Tuesday 29 September - 2pm - 8pm - Rampside
  Rampside Village Hall, Roa Island Road, Rampside, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0PY
• Wednesday 30 September - 2pm - 8pm - Workington
  Helena Thompson Museum, Park End Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4DE

October 2015

• Thursday 1 October - 2pm - 8pm - Waverton
  Waverton Village Hall, Waverton, Wigton, Cumbria CA7 0AE
• Friday 2 October - 2pm - 8pm - Dearham
  St Mung's Mission Rooms, Church Street, Dearham, Cumbra CA15 7HX
• Saturday 3 October - 10am - 3.30pm - Carlisle West
  Morton Community Centre, Wigton Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 6JP
• Thursday 8 October - 2pm - 8pm - Millom
  Millom Network Centre, Salthouse Road, Millom, Cumbria, LA18 5AB
• Thursday 8 October - 2pm - 6pm - Roosecote (BUS EVENT)
  Roose Community Primary School, North Row, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0HF
• Friday 9 October - 2pm - 8pm - Grizebeck
  The Community Hall, Grizebeck, Kirkby in Furness, Cumbria, LA17 7XH
• Saturday 10 October - 10am - 3.30pm - Seascale
  Seascale Methodist Church Hall, Gosforth Road, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1PU
• Wednesday 14 October - 1pm - 5pm - Whitehaven
  NuGen's Moorside Information Centre, Civic Hall, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 7SH
• Wednesday 14 October - 2pm - 8pm - Moresby
  Moresby Rugby Union Club, Walkmill Park, Moresby, Cumbria CA28 8XW
• Thursday 15 October - 2pm - 8pm - Great Orton
  Great Orton Village Hall, Great Orton, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA5 6LU
• Friday 16 October - 2pm - 8pm - Aspatria
  Aspatria Rugby Club, Bower Park, Station Road, Aspatria, Cumbria, CA7 2AJ
• Saturday 17 October - 10am - 3.30pm - Rockliffe
  The Rockliffe Centre, Rockcliffe, Carlisle, Cumbria CA6 4AA
• Wednesday 21 October - 2pm - 8pm - Drigg
  Drigg & Carleton Parish Hall, Drigg, Holmrook, Cumbria, CA19 1XF
• Thursday 22 October - 2pm - 8pm - Bootle
  Bootle Village Hall, Bootle Station, Cumbria, LA19 5UY
• Friday 23 October - 2pm - 8pm - Askam-in-Furness
  Askam Community Hall, Duke Street, Askam-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0ND
• Saturday 24 October - 10.00am - 3.30pm - Newton-in-Furness
  Newton Village Hall, Newton Cross Road, Newton-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0ND
• Thursday 29 October - 2pm - 8pm - Heysham
  Heysham Library, 396 Heysham Road, Heysham, Lancashire

Link to National Grid Engagement page http://www.northwestcoastconnections.com/bgo/engagement.asp