Overhead power lines to go at RSPB reserve
Overhead power lines are to be laid underground this summer on an RSPB nature reserve in the Broads as part of a £2.9 million scheme to remove overhead cables in some of the most beautiful landscapes in the East of England.
Buckenham Marshes on the River Yare is set to benefit from the £89,000 project, paid for by EDF Energy. It is the first of a number which are likely to take place in the Broads and the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the region over the next five years.
Buckenham Marshes is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Ramsar site internationally valued for its bird life, a National Nature Reserve, Special Protection Area and Special Conservation Area.
Tim Strudwick, site manager for the RSPB’s Mid Yare nature reserves welcomed the move. He said: “We expect this change to benefit breeding waders like lapwings and redshanks as the lines and posts are used as perches by crows that take eggs. It will also greatly improve the look of the marshes and reduce the risk of swans and geese hitting the wires.”
Lesley Harrison, Broads Authority Landscape Architect, said: “The overhead lines are a danger to the large numbers of birds that live here and are not in keeping with the national park setting. This will be a great step forward in restoring the wildness and beauty of the area as well as removing a constant hazard to birds.”
EDF Energy is working with the Broads Authority and the other protected areas across the region to identify sites which would most benefit from the removal of overhead power lines. The project has been made possible through a special allowance granted by industry regulator, Ofgem.
09/02/2006
