17th March 2010

BEAMINSTER: All power lines should be put underground

Council set whole town as a priority

by Tom Glover

BEAMINSTER Town Council are appealing to a new scheme that could see major works take place to underground all low voltage power lines in the town.

The Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership contacted the Beaminster Town Council with regards to undergrounding existing low voltage power lines.

Electrictiy and gas regulator Ofgem have provided an allowance for Distribution Network Operators to underground low voltage power lines in National parks and AONBs.

In the south west a steering group, led by Western Power Distribution, has been formed to select areas in most need of the work.

Due to the limited allowance, potential candidates were asked to prioritise areas most in need of the work.

At a meeting of Beaminster Town Council on Monday night (March 15th) it was agreed that the town could not prioritise any particular scheme and that all power lines within the conservation area boundaries should be proposed for the scheme.

Town Councillor Douglas Beazer said: “We live in an area of outstanding natural beauty and of course Beaminster is a conservation area.

“We are given guidelines about what windows and gutters we can use because they are trying to preserve the town but I think it is absurd to say you can’t do this and that if we then go and put power lines in overhead.

“I would like to see all these power lines put underground that would preserve it.

“This is an opportunity to address that but if we ask for one street to be done and they reject it then we have failed but if we ask for them to do them all and they agree to do three streets then that is something.

“Of course this is an expensive job but then what isn’t these days.

“This is something I’ve have been repeatedly calling for, for a number of years and I’d like to think they would do something about it.

“They have approached us and we have responded so we will have to see what happens.”

The town council contacted the Dorset AONB Partnership yesterday (Tuesday) to inform them of their decision.