National Grid has announced that pylons will be replaced by underground cables in four protected landscapes following a visual impact study.

The priority schemes are: near Hale in the New Forest; near Dunford Bridge in the Peak District; near Porthmadog in Snowdonia and the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) near Winterbourne Abbas, Dorset.

LUC undertook a Visual Impact Provision study to assess the effects of overhead power line infrastructure on landscape and visual amenity within 12 designated landscapes in England and Wales. This helped National Grid to identify the areas of greatest landscape and visual importance where alternatives to pylons would be most beneficial.

Hector Pearson, from National Grid, said: “This is a unique stakeholder-driven project and it continues to represent a major opportunity to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife, cultural and environmental heritage of some areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks.”