Council leader heads up group opposing pylon plan

The leader of a Derbyshire council has set up a campaign group to fight a plan to build a 60km (37 mile) corridor of electricity pylons across the county.

National Grid wants to install new electricity infrastructure from Chesterfield to Willington in South Derbyshire.

The Amber Valley National Landscape Campaign (AVNLC) is being headed up by Conservative Derbyshire County Council leader, Barry Lewis.

The group said it wants to protect the area from "unrestrained development and infrastructure projects" that "threaten its ecological integrity".

A public consultation on the proposals ended last month.

Campaigners want to make Amber Valley a National Landscape designation - a measure that could provide "vital protection for one of Derbyshire’s most cherished landscapes".

Residents and the county council have voiced significant concerns about the proposal of up to 60m (197ft) tall high-voltage pylons set to pass through the area.

The group said it would impact the landscape, ecology and wildlife, as well as a local amenity.

Katie Hirst, a member of the AVNLC, said: "Designating Amber Valley as a National Landscape would offer critical protections, allowing us to balance necessary development with the preservation of our countryside, ecology and heritage.

"We’re hopeful that Derbyshire County Council will recognise the importance of this initiative and offer their support."

Energy secretary Ed Miliband recently told delegates at an energy conference he would “take on the blockers, the delayers, the obstructionists” who are against the government's plans to roll out a clean energy system by 2030.

The National Grid said that its infrastructure was largely built in the 1960s and needed upgrading.

A spokesperson for the company said: "We are at an early stage in our proposals, and we want to work closely with local communities and stakeholders as we develop the project further, including the exact route of the project, which has not yet been determined.

"The government and our regulator Ofgem require us to assess our proposals against a range of factors, including value for money to bill payers and impact on the community and environment, to ensure they are in line with current planning policy, our licence obligations, and net zero targets."

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.