Landscape charity Friends of the Lake District is celebrating the completion of several large projects to place overhead power lines underground in Cumbria this year.
This includes work on over a kilometre of overhead lines in Mungrisdale in the Lake District National Park.
As well as the scheme in Mungrisdale, work to remove wires in Arnside and Silverdale and the Solway Coast has also taken place this year.
There are also plans for running overhead wires underground in the North Pennines National Landscape in the near future.
Friends of the Lake District’s overhead wires officer Amanda McCleery said: “We’ve been so pleased with the undergrounding work that has taken place in the last twelve months.
“It’s great to see such a long stretch of wire clutter removed from Mungrisdale, a very special valley, with its breathtaking views to dramatic fells such as Blencathra and Clough Head.
“It is fitting in our 90th birthday year that this important programme to enhance protected landscapes across Cumbria will soon enter its third decade, thanks in no small part to sustained campaigning by this charity over many years.”
Electricity North West, which operates Cumbria’s power network, has invested over £200,000 in the Mungrisdale scheme and the work is all part of its £8 million, five-year undergrounding programme to remove wires and poles from protected landscapes across the North West and place the power network underground.
Tracey Cuthbertson, who oversees undergrounding schemes for Electricity North West in Cumbria, said: “We’re delighted to be able to continue in our work to enhance the local landscape by removing these power lines and wood poles from Mungrisdale, so everyone can enjoy this beautiful part of Cumbria.
“The North West’s power network is one of the most reliable in the world and we want to maintain the best supply to our customers. At times, we do understand the overhead lines can impact the local landscapes and that’s why we underground overhead lines where possible.”
Tim Duckmanton, team leader strategy and environment, Lake District National Park Authority said: “Thanks to all our partners’ great work on this project we are seeing continual removal of intrusive infrastructure.
“This work is critical to maintain a resilient power network in the Lake District and reduce its impact upon the natural beauty of this world famous landscape.”
Friends of the Lake District has been campaigning about overhead wires since the charity was set up in the 1930s.
It published a report in 2003 into the potential of placing overhead lines underground. This was key in persuading the government regulator, Ofgem, to establish an allowance amongst electricity companies to underground wires in national parks and Landscapes.
The charity’s campaign for funding to enable undergrounding goes on, however, as there is no guarantee that the Ofgem allowance to the regional electricity companies, like Electricity North West, for the undergrounding of their wood poles and wires will continue after the present five-year programme, which finishes in March 2028 comes to an end.
