Country road between fields leading up to small village
An update on our habitat management work

20 August 2022: We wrote to you early last month to let you know about some vegetation clearance work our ecologists would be undertaking in Llandecwyn and Talsarnau as part of site preparations for National Grid’s Snowdonia Visual Impact Provision (VIP) project.

The project will see the permanent removal of 10 pylons and around 3 km of overhead line that currently crosses the Dwyryd Estuary, replacing them with underground cables.

You will have heard that we have been strimming the area in recent days. However, some of the vegetation has matured significantly and once it is cut down, it will be necessary to use a wood chipper to break it down before it can be removed.

The wood chipper we are using will only run intermittently and will not produce a constant noise. We have also ensured that some screening will be located alongside the machine to reduce noise to residents living nearby.

Once the wood is chipped we are expecting that a large proportion of the chippings will be reused on site as a mulch. The remainder will be taken from site in trucks, which we estimate will mean a small increase of six to eight additional vehicle movements to and from site.

The work will start imminently and take place between 8.00am and 4.00pm on weekdays only. This phase of work, including the erection of reptile fencing, should be completed by mid-September, hopefully sooner.

We apologise for any inconvenience this slight change to our working arrangements may cause. The work has been discussed in detail and was approved by planners and the ecologist from the Snowdonia National Park Authority before work started. We also have the consent of the relevant landowners where required.

If you have any queries about the project or the works taking place, please do not hesitate to contact the VIP project team directly by calling 0800 019 1898 or by emailing us at [email protected].