BACKLASH OVER AQUIND SCHEME
Opponents voice concerns over city £1.2bn power cable project
GOVERNMENT inspectors have heard residents’ objections to a £1.2bn plan to bring energy cables from France ashore in Portsmouth.
It came in the first of a series of public hearings into proposals by hi-tech firm Aquind.
CONCERNED residents, politicians and campaigners from across the Portsmouth area joined forces to object to plans for a £1.2bn electric interconnector.
In the first public hearing for the controversial Aquind interconnector project held yesterday, government inspectors – who will have the final say on the proposals – listened to the concerns of a range of groups and organisations.
If approved, the scheme will bring electricity from France to the UK with cables coming ashore at Eastney, in Portsmouth, then travelling through the city to reach its destination at Lovedean.
It is thought work to lay the cables would last at least 66 weeks.
Milton resident Kimberly Barrett shared the fears of campaign group Keep Milton Green that included pollution and damage to open spaces and nature.
She said: ‘This is a city that also has an air quality issue, a large population density and a protected harbour and nature reserve to the east of the city.
‘Why could it not make landfall somewhere that does not have all the issues we as a city face?’
Councillor Matthew Winnington, who represents Eastney and Craneswater, had specific concerns about the use of the Fort Cumberland car park for work.
‘We know the vast majority of the car park is going to be taken out of use for the vast majority of the time,’ he said.
‘This is completely unacceptable. It’s the car park that allows people to use the beach. The impact on parking in the area will be absolutely diabolical.’
Several people raised concerns that the public were not properly consulted.
Viola Langley, from the Let’s Stop Aquind group, said: ‘People feel intimidated, threatened and disregarded.
‘How can people make the right decisions when they have no idea what the issues are?
‘We do not need, we do not want and we will not tolerate this project.’
Fears were also raised about the end point of the route.
Cllr Paula Langford-Smith, chairman of Denmead Parish Council, said: ‘While the residents of Portsmouth, Havant and East Hampshire will suffer short-term disruption from cables, the residents of Denmead parish will not only have to endure this but are also faced with the addition of a 20-metre high building.
‘This will be sitting in the parish for 20 years or more.’
Speaking on behalf of Aquind, Simon Bird QC, said: ‘In relation to consultation, the approach was agreed with each relevant authority including Portsmouth City Council and we held two statutory public consultations.
‘As a result, many more sensitive areas along the route were removed altogether.’
He added that a horizontal drilling technique would be used along Milton Allotments to reduce disruption and residents would not be restricted from entering the allotments.
A further six hearings on the project are set to be held throughout December.
The government will close its examination on March 8, 2021.
We do not need, we do not want and we will not tolerate this project. Viola Langley
ANY major infrastructure scheme that impinges on existing developments will, almost by definition, prove to be disruptive. But the proposed Aquind Interconnector project is one that is proving to be particularly controversial.
The public hearing into the £1.2bn plans began yesterday, and besides those in the employ of Aquind, it was hard to find a voice speaking in its favour.
From campaign groups, to councillors, to concerned residents, the message was clear: we do not want this.
While we would not seek to pre-empt the outcome of a public inquiry, we need to know that this is not merely a box-ticking exercise.
To hear that people opposing the plans ‘feel intimidated, threatened and disregarded’, is disconcerting to say the least.
Given the history of big business riding roughshod over those who stand in their way, those concerns are legitimate.
The public needs to be reassured that all voices will be listened to and their opinions taken into account.
This hearing must not be a whitewash.
This is an emotive issue, affecting thousands of people, and we are sure that at times those emotions will bubble over.
Any significant developments in the guise of progress can be a difficult pill to swallow, especially when the path does not appear clear, or to make sense.
And this is what worries a lot of people in Portsmouth and on through to Lovedean.
The laying of the cables is going to be hugely disruptive, and that’s before we even get to the actual interconnector building – which, at 20m tall, is hardly going to blend in with the rural setting. Are the putative benefits of all of this upheaval going to be worth the outcome?
And there are serious questions that need to be answered, not least about the cable’s planned route.