Underground cables preserve area of natural beauty

8:30am Wednesday 7th November 2007

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GOODRICH has become one of the first areas to benefit from a national pilot scheme where electricity cables are buried underground.

Central Networks agreed to trial its "Going Underground" initiative in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, meaning that dangerous and unsightly electricity cables are buried underground so they no longer affect the visual impact of an AONB or pose a danger to people.

The scheme was introduced after electricity watchdog Ofgem gave companies discretionary powers to use underground low voltage lines within AONBs.

Villagers in Goodrich had successfully fought an application to build on a site behind the primary school and decided to develop it as a greenspace for the whole village to enjoy.

But planning permission for recreational use of the site was dependent upon the overhead electricity wires being buried for safety reasons.

Lawrie Lowe, secretary of the Greenspace Group, said that without the help from the AONB/ Central Networks scheme, development of the site would have not been possible.

He said: "Although the community had raised a lot of money for the project, the £20,000-plus cost of undergrounding the power lines would have been out of reach of the voluntary fundraising efforts."

The Greenspace project has received a grant of £7,200 from Awards for All and £6,300 has been pledged by community members.

Further funding pledged to the group includes £7,400 from the Wye Valley AONB Sustainability Fund, £600 from Ross Community Pride, £375 from Herefordshire Landscape Enhancement, and £600 from a village barbecue event.

Local contractor Tony Coyle started work in September by digging a trench for the pipes which will carry the buried electricity lines and further levelling to provide play areas has now been completed.

Mr Lowe added: "The new play equipment has been ordered and we are planting the grass now.

"The area will also be re-seeded with a wildflower meadow and trees will be planted to enhance the landscape."

It is hoped that the project will be completed by early spring.