A SECTION of electricity cables in the South Downs National Park has been buried under ground as part of a programme to replace overhead lines and make the area look nicer.
The £150,000 programme of works by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, which started in late summer of last year, has been completed and restores an historic view from the medieval Hampshire market town of Bishop’s Waltham.
The site had been proposed by local stakeholders as having the potential for visual improvement through the removal of the overhead network.
Franklin Farm after the work
Through consultation and analysis the works were approved as part of SSEN’s £15m undergrounding programme, which aims to put 66 miles of overhead distribution lines underground in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
This latest project – carried out across land on the Franklin, Dean and St Clair’s Farms – has removed a section of overhead cables and supporting poles, replacing them with underground cabling and providing people who use the footpaths with an uninterrupted view across the countryside.
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In addition to the cabling works, a small, ground-mounted substation has been built to replace the overhead transformers.
SSEN said this newly installed section of infrastructure helps provide a more resilient power supply.
Franklin Farm view before the work
Carl James, project manager, said: “SSEN has worked closely with Franklin, Dean and St Clair’s Farms throughout this project to accommodate important agricultural and seasonal schedules, and we’d like to thank them for their assistance and cooperation over the last few months; enabling our team to carry out the vital excavation works to accommodate the new cable.
“The initial proposal for the works came from the town’s stakeholders and after careful research of the local environment, the landscape and the technicalities of the scheme, SSEN was able to approve the project.
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“As well as providing an uninterrupted view of the local area for the many people enjoying the footpaths, bridleway and stunning scenery across the local countryside, the project has boosted the local power supply; making it more resilient and fit for the future as more of our Hampshire customers move to low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps.”
Kim Wilkie from Franklin Farm said: “SSEN has made a big difference to the landscape and bridleways at this entrance to the national park. The poles and lines have all gone and the trees are now allowed to grow uninterrupted. The scheme was done very professionally and efficiently.”
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