On arrival the scene was strange and mysterious. A stream of muffled figures walked through the blustery night towards the remote barn. The door, open just a crack, threw a shaft of dim light onto the muddy ground. A burly man stood inside checking credentials. It felt like a scene from a novel about the Russian Revolution (apart of course from the steady stream of people carriers and shiny cars coming down the driveway).
Once inside the barn however it was clear that it was just a public meeting, the second held by the Groton Pylon Alliance which has been formed to try to co-ordinate responses to National Grid’s plans to march pylons across the countryside of South Suffolk.
Some 240 people were present, many of whom who had not gone to the previous gathering of the Group. There were representatives present from around 20 villages, 13 of whom have signed up to the Alliance. Representatives from Little Waldingfield and Great Waldingfield Parish Councils were there, as was Jeremy Pembroke, the Leader of Suffolk County Council (in a personal rather than official capacity). There too were representatives from other local groups, the Suffolk Preservation Society and also from ‘Suffolk Underground’, a group committed to the routing underground of electrical wiring.
The Alliance, which sees itself as a conservation group, is keen to be a constructive rather than nimbyish organisation. The aim is to try to present the electricity company with a united view about what is best for Suffolk. Jeremy Pembroke claimed that this is also the aim of the County, which, despite only being a consultee in the process, are taking a group of interested Councillors on a bus to see the four potential options for themselves. Representatives from the area around Dedham Vale, which is affected by routes 1 and 2, were also present and it seems that they themselves favour Route 2, with the important proviso that the wires that affect the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are hidden underground- an expensive option. This seems the favoured option of all present, who do not wish to see ‘virgin countryside’ destroyed by intrusive objects.
The planning authority is the new Government quango recently set up to decide large infrastructure issues, and, I notice, currently advertising for highly paid staff. In common with the County Council, Babergh is only a consultee. I was the only Babergh Councillor present, and heard Jeremy Pembroke call for the District and the County to co-operate in trying to form a combined view. I will be passing his message onto relevant people at Corks Lane. Unity is strength in these matters!
It is important that those who feel strongly put pen to paper and write to National Power. The Groton Pylon Alliance is urging people to do so, and also, if possible, to make a donation to the Alliance to help to hire legal and technical experts to assist with the campaign.
Further information can be found on the National Power website and also on
www.groton-pylon-alliance.co.uk
