Environment and Sustainability Committee
Inquiry into Energy Policy and Planning in Wales

EPP 189 – J Bridges

I am writing to support the petitions that call for a review of TAN 8 an and examination of traffic movements in Mid Wales.

Apart from the already well documented problems with regard to (1) visual destruction of an area of outstanding beauty; (2) the disregard for the health of local wildlife AND humans, (leukaemia), (3) the destruction of tourism which the area relies on; (4) noise pollution; (5) the risk of flooding; abnormal loads on what is an already inadequete road system, (6) the destruction of forests: this area will become a vast and ugly prison.

What is the point of destroying the very FORESTS THAT HELP PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE?  

I have lived in an area near pylons, much smaller ones, and there was a constant hum which affected me very badly.  When  we moved away, the symptoms disappeared. 

For many years Newtown has suffered greatly from the huge load of traffic streaming through the middle of the town because of the non-existence of a bypass.  This has now been made even worse by the new traffic lights, because Newtown is at the hub of the north/south and east/west divide.

The project will take at least five years, with extremely heavy loads on roads, causing structural damage to same.  How will the emergency services cope?  In fact, the whole project will make it almost impossible for people to go about their business, whether coming into Montgomeryshire, or out of it.  This is a massive upheaval and disruption on an unprecedented scale.  It seems that no one has bothered to think this through properly.

Our tourism is valued at 650 million pounds per year.  How do we replace that?  No one has thought fit to provide an enterprise zone here!

FOR WHAT PURPOSE?   A completely inefficient form of energy, that will need other forms of energy to 'supplement' it.  It is too late for regrets, when you have destroyed the countryside and filled it with pylons and wind farms, allowing a few to get very rich at the expense of everyone else's quality of life. This mony could have been used to promote solar and other forms of energy.  Incidentally, National Grid has just sent me THREE copies of the same letter!

I HAVE NO DESIRE TO LIVE IN A STEEL WASTELAND!  IF THESE PLANS GO AHEAD, YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED BY FUTURE GENERATIONS FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS!

Yours faithfully,

J. Bridges. (MRS).