Approved Minutes – Hinkley C Connection Group Friday 20th April 2012 at 1.00pm Committee Room, South Gloucestershire Council, Castle Street, Thornbury, , BS35 9BQ

Invited Name Role Cllr Anne Fraser – Sedgemoor District Council Chair, Member Cllr Richard Burden– Sedgemoor District Council Member Cllr Bob Garner - North District Council Member Cllr Chris Morgan - West Somerset Council Member Cllr Matthew Riddle–South Gloucestershire Council Member Karin Taylor – National Trust Member Doug Bamsey (DB) – Sedgemoor District Council S PPA Board, Director of Regeneration Chris Ambrose, Wraxall and Parish Council Member Cllr Robert Griffin – South Gloucestershire Council Member Graham Quick - District Council PPA Board, Local Planning Team Leader Valerie Moody (VM) – Somerset County Council PPA Chair of Joint Project Team Rebecca Musto (RM) - Somerset County Council Communications Officer Paul Sobczyk (PS) – Sedgemoor District Council Project Manager Ken Taylor – West Somerset Council PPA Board, Deputy Planning Manager Gillian Ellis-King – South Gloucestershire PPA Board, Strategic Projects Manager Peter Bryant (PB) – National Grid PPA Board, Senior Project Manager Richard Walsh (RW) - National Grid PPA Board, Consents Officer. Ivan Stone (IS) - (for National Grid) 3g Communications Nikki Suri (NS)- National Grid Lead Project Manager Vicky Banham (VB)– Sedgemoor District Council Communications Manager Clive Goodman – Western Power Distribution Primary System Design Engineer presenting to the Meeting

Apologies Name Role Cllr Anne Harley -North Somerset District Council Member Dave Pring – Environment Agency Member Cllr David Huxtable– Somerset County Council Member Cllr David Hall – Somerset County Council Member Alyn Jones - Somerset County Council PPA Board Katherine Haddrell - IPC National Infrastructure Planning Martin Seaton – Bristol City Council Planning Officer Cllr Tim Taylor – West Somerset Council Member Rebekah Wood - Sedgemoor District Council Support Services Caroline Power – English Heritage Member

Approved Minutes – Hinkley C Connection Group Friday 20th April 2012 at 1.00pm Committee Room, South Gloucestershire Council, Castle Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 9BQ

Item Detail Action Welcome AF welcomed all to meeting and thanked South Gloucestershire from chair Council for hosting the meeting at their Thornbury offices.

Minutes, The minutes of the meeting were agreed. Actions: Actions and PS to contact matters Invite OFGEM to next meeting. Simon Cran- arising McGreehan National Grid are not currently building any new towers in . PB to report back May be some later in year and visit will be arranged if these are to next meeting. sufficiently close.

th GEK reported back on NNLAG meeting Wednesday 18 April in Anglesey. National Grid’s Steve Knight-Gregson, Principal Specialist Major Projects presented. Topics included:  Consultation work in Suffolk and HCCP to date / lessons learned  The Business Plan and Willingness to Pay

 Supply chain / skills framework

 IET report / New approach to undergrounding

Questions included “alternative options” (see later in minutes under Highlight report) and “National Grid is technology neutral” meaning a working solution to what is required to be achieved is what is sought in its project work – it’s a staged and sequential approach.

A protocol on Community Benefit is being produced by NNLAG – this RM to circulate should be in a position to be shared in a few weeks time. Community Benefit protocol.

GEK concluded with a note that although the parent companies have put

Horizon up for sale, Horizon is continuing with Nuclear planning work at Oldbury and Wyllfa. There are press reports of interest from others in buying the business.

The Group discussed the cost of undergrounding as presented at the RW to circulate meeting and the importance of being project specific. National Grid Scottish Power offered to circulate an example from a Scottish Power project. example.

Approved Minutes – Hinkley C Connection Group Friday 20th April 2012 at 1.00pm Committee Room, South Gloucestershire Council, Castle Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 9BQ The meeting discussed the responses compiled by Richard Parker of Compton Bishop PC who had e-mailed Parish Councils requesting All to consider how confirmation of support for Chris Ambrose as the HCCG rep. 33 to improve PC Parish Councils written to of which a response from 22 was obtained representation (CA with 19 “yeses” . Difficulty in a single person being able to represent to e-mail all 60 PCs) and Parishes in the far North and South and noted that some of these suggestion of PCs have not been contacted. Offer from South Glos to work with merger HCCG & rep to inform of issues. PCs are encouraged to respond directly to SCF – PS to e-mail the National Grid. A suggestion that SCF and HCCG could be merged reminder. to reduce duplication of work and meetings was raised. There were concerns that the community may lose its opportunity for comment in a combined group and that the HCCG had an established purpose and function that served the responsibilities of Councils.

Highlight The report sent with the minutes was presented by PS. Report – 7th March 2012 Strategic Project Board (SPB) next meeting is 3rd May and will consider Communications and Adequacy of Consultation work packages. If approved there will be a full suite of work packages to

October 2013. SPB will also be considering resourcing for continued

local authority activity post application.

Meeting noted that there is a Consultation on new Planning Act 2008 Guidance. The pre application guidance is in draft and being consulted on by Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) (launched 13th April 2012 and responses due by 6th July). JPT to consider the guidance and a Recent advice from the IPC and this guidance suggests allowing response and options to be put to the IPC – in “exceptional circumstances”. The report back guidance also covers the SoCC process. outcome to HCCG.

Presentation Clive introduced the role of the WPD and the arena in which it from operated. There are 14 licensed distribution areas in the UK Western operated by 6 companies and regulated by OFGEM. WPD serve 7.6M Power customers of which 1.4M are in the South West. WPD is a wholly Distribution owned subsidiary of Pennsylvania Energy and Light.

Ltd -

Clive There are 11 “SuperGrid Points” in the South West – these are Goodman connection points with the National Grid at which WPD receive power and in SW examples are at Bridgwater, Seabank and Churchill. They take power at 132KV and through the distribution network and substations this is gradually reduced to 33kV, 11Kv and further to individual properties. Approved Minutes – Hinkley C Connection Group Friday 20th April 2012 at 1.00pm Committee Room, South Gloucestershire Council, Castle Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 9BQ

Questions from the Group had been put to WPD in advance and Clive provided the following responses:

 No major projects in the Somerset/Bristol area planned except

the removal of the 132KV line. Alterations for current developments at Morrisons and Express Park in Bridgwater were actually made a few years ago. WPD tends to look up to 7 years in advance at any needs coming from development proposals. Wind energy proposals may actually provide a negative demand on the wider distribution network (depending upon the size of the development).  New overhead lines of 132KV and above requires a DCO. WPD publish a “long term development statement” every year which shows WPD financially authorised changes in the next 2 years –

available on the WPD website. WPD need to retain the system

resilience – there are no other off-takes on the 132KV line proposed for dismantling.  The costs for undergrounding are far cheaper at lower voltages than 400KV hence the initiatives from OFGEM to Distribution Companies and not NG.  If subsea route WPD will still require Super Grid Points.  Both lines running adjacent to Nailsea are 132KV. Only one line proposed to be removed at the moment.

 Possible planning gain by removing a second line but

project must be approved and achieved through the NG process – there is an expectation for DNOs and NG to work together where this is necessary to deliver the requirements of their licence and the Electricity Act. There is opportunity for Copy of slides and rationalisation of the network and NG will consider and work South West with WPD to explore this potential in this stage of the project. Network Map to  The latest report to stakeholders is due to be published by WPD be provided by this week. WPD and circulated by PS

3D modeling The National Grid anticipates its 3D computer graphic model to be 3d model to next completed shortly so will present the model to the next meeting. meeting (RW)

Update from Thematic Groups - RW presented an update of the work of the 3 National Grid Thematic Groups (Biodiversity, Landscape / Views and Historic Environment) which have now completed 4 rounds of meetings. It is very detailed information which makes giving an overview difficult to HCCG and the Community Forums so it is proposed to focus on Approved Minutes – Hinkley C Connection Group Friday 20th April 2012 at 1.00pm Committee Room, South Gloucestershire Council, Castle Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 9BQ summarising one group’s work / topic area at a time starting at the next SCF and LCF meetings. Other topics are to be explored by holding Thematic meetings in May on:- - Flooding & hydrology - Socio -Economic, tourism, economic development etc.

Property blight is not a consideration when determining strategic and alternative options. NG will be discussing with directly affected land owners on whose land the National Grid’s infrastructure will be installed on a case by case basis.

IS reported on the work of the new Local Community Forums and all agreed these had worked well and there were benefits in working in smaller groups as people who had not spoken up before at other meetings or forums found their voice in the less formal environment of small workshops and many restated their preference for other options. Next LCF meetings all 7-9pm dates:- Mendips - Tues 8 May Webbington Hotel, Loxton South - Wed 9 May The Exchange, Bridgwater North - Thurs 10 May Backwell School, nr Bristol

Options Appraisal - National Grid’s Steve Knight-Gregson, Principal Specialist Major Projects will presenting the options appraisal process to a joint meeting of Thematic Groups and other invitees on 2nd May.

Round Table Updating No updates

AOB None Next th meeting The next meeting was agreed to take place on 4 July at 9.30 venue will be Regus Building by Temple Meads in Bristol.