Emergency pylon meeting

The village hall is expected to be packed this Sunday afternoon as residents of the valley gather together in a bid to stop the 164 feet tall pylons being erected.
Campaign spokeswoman Jill Corlett said the meeting is for residents of Nithsdale to discuss how they can “prevent our beautiful valley being desecrated by the imposition of 164 foot tall pylons which bring no benefit, except ugliness, to our lovely area, as they will export electricity to Ireland and England.”
And she added: “A talk will be given by Alan Jones and it is hoped that residents of the other affected rural communities will join forces to oppose these plans.
“The plans have been cleverly organised so that not many people locally are aware of this, and we only have until July 24 to give our feedback.”
Meanwhile, Derek Ivy, of Kirkmahoe, has shared his views on the plans, and has said there is ‘no clear justification’ for pursuing the favoured route.
He has written to SP Energy Networks Dumfries and Galloway Strategic Reinforment Project with his comments on the proposals.
Complaining about the lack of information available regarding costs, Mr Ivy said: “Cost must be a major concern; but no facts were available.
“In particular, the relative cost of alternative routes should be clearly set out, as well as the relative costs of overhead and underground cables; although the initial cost of pylons may be cheaper, the whole life costs need to be considered in view of potential damage to overhead cables in areas that experience severe weather conditions.”