BURNHAM'S MP has called for a study into the financial impact a corridor of pylons could have on health and the environment.
David Heathcoat-Amory took part in a debate in the House of Commons last week, led by fellow Tory Liam Fox, on National Grid's plans to power Hinkley Point C with the electricity transmission system at Avonmouth using 37 miles of 46m-tall pylons.
Dr Fox told MPs they can not and will not stand by and watch the countryside “ravaged” by “46m-high graffiti”, and urged National Grid to consider undersea and underground cables instead of the pylons.
During the debate Mr Heathcoat-Amory said: “Should there not be an attempt to find a monetary value to attribute to the preservation of the environment and the avoidance of the health effects?
“If that were done, the submarine option might well be found to be not the most expensive, but the cheapest option.”
David Kidney, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Energy and Climate Change, said: “There is a large groundswell of support for alternative routes for the electric line either by placing it underground or going subsea under the Severn estuary.
“I understand that National Grid has said it discounts the latter proposal on the grounds of cost and technical challenges. It has therefore not been offered as a consultation option for public scrutiny.”
Mr Heathcoat-Amory said the submarine route option should be included in the consultation so others can challenge National Grid.
National Grid insists it will listen to the feedback from its consultation periods, the first of which finished on Friday, with a second consultation to follow.
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