TOWN leaders have urged members of the Dalton community to come together and rally against a plan to erect giant pylons which they believe will tarnish the surrounding landscape.
Two rows of pylons that are 50m and 27.5m high are set to be built to the east of Dalton and over the A590 towards Duddon Valley as part of plans to connect the Moorside Power Station to the grid.
However, Dalton mayor Nick Perie believes that constructing these will create a significant eyesore, noise pollution and traffic chaos, with town councillor Liz Colver adamant that they will "ruin the landscape around the town."
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Mrs Colver also believes that National Grid are trying to force the development through and thinks that they have ignored government rules by making the consultation period too short.
She said: "I think National Grid are trying to bulldoze this through. They are not giving us or any other parish councils sufficient time to consult with our residents or even amongst ourselves.
"They have given us a 10-week consultation period, but two weeks of those 10 are over Christmas and the new year.
"The government's own code of consultation actually states that consultations should last for at least 12 weeks, with consideration given to longer time scales where feasible."
Mrs Colver has past experience of petitioning against controversial plans as she successfully blocked a planning application to build 79 houses on a greenfield site in Dalton in November 2015.
She now wants residents of the town to write individual petitions in a bid to make it clear to National Grid that Dalton does not want pylons.
She said: "It's no good sending a petition with 3,000 names on it because that only counts as one objection - we need individual ones.
"If the pylons get built it's going to be really devastating to the landscape and it won't heal from this for a long time.
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"Dalton is the ancient capital of Furness and this will take away from the whole atmosphere of the town.
"These pylons could go offshore and don't need to go through Furness and around Duddon but National Grid are refusing to consider that as an option because it is too expensive."
The public meeting will be held on Monday November 28 from 7pm at Dalton Community Centre, in the building formerly known as the Drill Hall, in Nelson Street.
Mrs Colver added: "We are hoping as many of the residents as possible can come down and support us in a show of solidarity on the night."
FACTS:-
- The pylons that are 50m high will be the height as Barrow Town Hall and almost the same height as Devonshire Dock Hall which is 51m high.
- The following areas of Dalton will be affected by the pylons if they are built, according to Dalton Town Council:-
• Crooklands Brow
• Melton Terrace
• Tytup
• Longlands
• Newton Village
• Woodbine
• Tythe Barn
• Greystone Lane
• Greystone Estate
• Coronation Drive/Estate
• Acorn Bank
• Hare Ghyll
• Urswick Road
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