By the time the current programme finishes in 2023 approximately 37km of electricity power lines, costing over £4m, will have been undergrounded in the Lake District National Park alone. The Goosegreen scheme has removed nearly a kilometre of overhead wires from the National Park.
The work is funded by an undergrounding allowance from the regulator Ofgem, forming parting of an eight year programme. Lake District National Park Authority has surveyed the electricity lines in the National Park and the most feasible are then submitted to Electricity North West to be incorporated in the undergrounding programme.
Jonathan Eggleston, Programme Delivery Manager for Electricity North West, said: “We’re delighted to be able to enhance the local landscape by removing these power lines and poles so everyone can enjoy this beautiful part of Cumbria.
“Our electricity network is vital to ensure our customers across the North West receive a reliable power supply to their homes and businesses, but we do understand that sometimes it can impact the local landscape.
“We’re committed to working with the communities in which we operate and we continue to work closely with the Lake District National Park Authority to help further protect this stunning area.”
Friends of the Lake District Overhead Wires Officer, Amanda McCleery, said: “These poles ad wires were close to a road so it is great to get them removed. Friends of the Lake District appreciates the hard work put into such undergrounding schemes by multiple staff within Electricity North West, from when the site is first surveyed to when the last pole is taken down.”
Chris Greenwood, on behalf of the Lake District National Park Authority, said: “The beautiful landscape across the Lake District is an important resource and we must do what we can to ensure that essential services, like the power network, are delivered in a way that doesn’t detract from our most sensitive landscapes. Working closely with Electricity North West to remove these overhead lines is an important part of that process.”
