Standing room only at MP’s meeting on pylons

It was standing room only at Pant Village Hall for Helen Morgan MP’s recent public meeting discussing the community response to proposals from Bute Energy and Green GEN for a 31-mile line of 27-metre pylons past dozens of North Shropshire and Vyrnwy Valley villages.

The meeting, chaired by the MP, heard from a panel of impacted residents and campaigners who had dealt with similar proposals in the Llanymynech area when they were on the agenda around 10 years ago.

Bute Energy and Green GEN were invited but declined to attend.

The public forum covered a wide variety of topics, from the viability of burying lines at key locations such as between Crickheath and Pant, to the impact that objections from SP Energy Networks and the National Grid have on whether or not the ‘Vyrnwy-Frankton corridor’ can go ahead at all.

Helen Morgan has pledged to take local concerns to Bute Energy and Green GEN, demanding changes to the scheme to protect as much North Shropshire countryside as possible.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said, “Hundreds – if not thousands – of residents across North Shropshire are very concerned by plans for a 31-mile line of 27-metre pylons that would dissect much of our countryside and have a serious visual impact on dozens of villages and hamlets.

“It was very useful to hear local views in Pant earlier this week, to hear first-hand what people were most concerned about and what actions they want to see taken. It was standing room only and one of the busiest and most passionate public meetings I have held in my time as North Shropshire’s MP, which shows the strength of feeling on this.

“Thank you in particular to Shaun and Brett who joined me on the panel, and to the over 150 local residents who came along to hear the discussion and share their views. The meeting has given us a very clear steer on what we need to be going back to Bute Energy with and what local people find most important.”