Leading Chartered Surveyor firm, Bruton Knowles, has been instrumental in enabling a nationally significant pylon removal project in the Snowdonia National Park to move into the next phase.
Work is due to start imminently in the Dwyryd Estuary, near Porthmadog, to construct a new 4km underground tunnel and tunnel head houses which will accommodate new electricity cabling. This will allow for the subsequent dismantling of ten large pylons across a 3.5km stretch of overhead line that crosses the estuary.
The Snowdonia scheme is one of four National Grid Visual Impact Provision (VIP) projects. These are being funded through an allocation made available to the UK’s electricity transmission operators by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem).
The objective is to enhance protected landscapes in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Scenic Areas and National Parks by reducing the impact on the landscape of the existing electricity transmission infrastructure.
Bruton Knowles was appointed by National Grid in 2015 to deliver all land rights services to allow the project to go ahead. A team of experts from the firm’s National Utilities and Infrastructure Team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes since then.
They have arranged access to land and brokered voluntary deals and ensure all legal land rights are in place before the site works commence. This involved leading on detailed negotiations with landowners throughout the early phase.
Jamie Pickup, Associate at Bruton Knowles, who led on the discussions, explained: “This is a significant scheme for the people of Snowdonia.
“Bruton Knowles played a pivotal role in the preliminary project stages. Our specialist surveyors liaised with all landowners and tenants to conduct the necessary consultations and transactions.
“Our work has played an important part in a process which will enable National Grid to progress its ambition to reduce its physical footprint on the Snowdonia landscape.
“We’re delighted to be a key delivery partner in this infrastructure scheme which will leave a lasting legacy on the area.”
With planning consent and all the necessary land permissions now in place, National Grid’s main contractor, Hochtief, will push forwards with survey work during the first half of 2022 to inform the detailed project design.
Later in the year, the construction sites at each end of the tunnel entrances - which will carry the infrastructure under the estuary - will be established.
Activity is set to commence in earnest from 2023 and is expected to last six years before all pylons are removed and the new infrastructure is commissioned.
Steve Ellison, National Grid Snowdonia VIP’s Senior Project Manager said: “This project has been a long time in the planning. Local people have been very enthusiastic to see the pylons come down and extremely patient in waiting for us to make a start.
“We’ll be keeping people fully informed of our work and proposed activities, and members of the team out will be doing their bit in making sure that this beautiful location remains that way throughout the project’s duration.”
Bruton Knowles offers a one-stop-shop for clients, with its four National Teams - Valuation, Commercial, Utilities & Infrastructure and Building Consultancy - providing a point of contact to deliver an entire project to the exacting standards required.
National Teams have been significant for Bruton Knowles’ business portfolio over the past year, and there are plans to launch more in due course.
Bruton Knowles has extensive expertise and in-depth market knowledge of local and national property markets throughout the UK. Utilising its team of motivated resourceful surveyors, the firm can provide the very best commercial property advice. www.brutonknowles.co.uk.