Plans to construct a power line across a Staffordshire beauty spot have been branded as “further desecretion” by Michael Fabricant.

“HS2 have just announced plans to erect a high voltage power line with massive metal pylons – not in their original plan – from just west of Newborough to the HS2 line near Stockwell Heath” says Michael Fabricant.  “This will be yet a further desecration of beautiful Staffordshire countryside by HS2 as the pylons will march across the Blithe Valley just south of the Blithbury Reservoir which is used for sailing and other recreation.

“In a stormy meeting I had with Transport Minister, Nusrat Ghani, and officials from the Department of Transport last week, I told them that this is totally unacceptable and that if an additional power feed cannot be provided from the transformer site at the decommissioned Rugeley Power Station, any additional line will have to burried out of sight.

“Once again, lack of coordination between HS2 and organisations like the National Grid means my constituents, visitors, and the environment will suffer.”

HS2 requires three independent power feeds.  They were all going to be provided from Rugeley, but now HS2 say that Rugeley can only provide two feeds and the third will have to come from near Newborough, Michael Fabricant was told.

The map shows the powerline route. A 400,000 volt lattice pylon is typically up to 50 metres (164 feet) high.