The historic Hampshire village of Burley in the New Forest National Park is the latest area in central southern England to benefit from a scheme by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) where sections of its overhead power cables are undergrounded in areas that will be most visually improved.
The village, which has been inhabited since prehistoric times, has had its ancient views restored as part of SSEN’s ongoing £15m investment programme to underground 90km of overhead distribution lines in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Parks and National Scenic Areas across its central southern England and north of Scotland networks.
The £750,000 project, carried out by the distribution operator and now completed, saw preparatory groundworks carried out in late spring this year, with the bulk of the works then running through September. During this time 6.6 kilometres of overhead network, supplying power to the local area, was carefully dismantled and the project to dig the trenches to house the new underground cable was run in tandem to ensure minimal disruption to those living and working nearby.
SSEN also worked closely with the New Forest National Park Authority to carry out a significant section of the works; making sure that the natural environment was carefully considered and that no works were carried out at times that could disrupt the breeding patterns of local wildlife.
Carl James, SSEN’s Project Manager said:
“My team and I are delighted to have completed these works as part of SSEN’s undergrounding scheme for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks; bringing a more resilient power supply to the area’s homes and business and restoring an uninterrupted view to this ancient village.
“We’ve worked closely with local agencies throughout these works to avoid disruption to those living and working here, including the ponies and cattle who roam the village freely through the tradition of ‘commoning’, and I’d like to thank all of the residents of Burley for their patience and understanding while we carried out this project.”
Carl continued:
“When SSEN considers projects like this, our team listens to the needs of local stakeholders and balances that against any potential impact the works could have on the environment. It’s only when both SSEN and our stakeholders are fully satisfied - through discussion and research - that the undergrounding of the infrastructure is beneficial, that we start to plan works that will cause the least disruption to all involved and will result in a robust network that suits our customers now and for many years to come.”
SSEN’s programme of works to replace Burley’s overhead cable structure and associated poles and conductors with a fully undergrounded system has the added benefit of providing a more resilient power supply to the area’s 1,390 customers to meet their current requirements and as they adopt low carbon technologies - such as electric vehicles - to achieve their net zero goals.
Sarah Kelly, Landscape Officer, New Forest National Park Authority said:
“The undergrounding of over 6kms of the electricity power line to the south and west of the village of Burley has transformed the landscape in this part of the New Forest National Park, returning it to the beautiful open heathland that it once was, many years ago, with uninterrupted views across the landscape.
“The New Forest National Park Authority worked closely with SSEN, Forestry England and Natural England to achieve this exciting project which brings huge and lasting benefits to the landscape and natural beauty of the National Park, for everyone to enjoy.”
Sally Harries, Conservation Delivery Team and Hampshire Landscapes for Natural England added:
“Natural England welcomed the cooperative and thorough approach SSEN took to ensure there was no damage to the unique habitats and species in the New Forest whilst the work was undertaken.
“The removal of the overhead lines and poles, not all in the easiest working conditions, has made a remarkable difference to the natural beauty in this part of the open forest restoring open views across the rolling landscape.”
The village of Burley was proposed by local stakeholders as having the potential for visual improvement through the removal of the overhead network, and through subsequent consultation and analysis of the works was approved as part of SSEN’s £15 million undergrounding programme.
While SSEN’s overhead infrastructure provides a secure and cost-effective way of safely distributing electricity to homes and businesses, the distribution operator appreciates that the network can have an impact on the natural environment in officially designated beauty spots.
It’s through this understanding that SSEN encourages local people and visitors to these areas to share their views and assist in highlighting where investment through this £15 million undergrounding scheme will make the most difference.
For further information on the scheme and how you can propose an area to be considered for an undergrounding projects, please go to https://www.ssen.co.uk/undergrounding/.
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