Gas transmission pipelines must undergo a rigorous process of consultation and environmental appraisal before consent to construct can be granted by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
An Environmental Statement was included with our application for consent to build the Wormington-Sapperton pipeline, which was submitted to the Secretary of State in January 2009 and approved in November 2009.
The pipeline will be designed and built to the same high standards of safety and security as the other 7,300km of high-pressure gas transmission pipelines already in operation across the UK.
The new pipeline will be buried underground throughout its length, allowing us to reinstate the land to its original condition when work is complete.
The pipeline route crosses the Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), mainly through agricultural land, and we are working closely with the Cotswolds Conservation Board to minimise its impact on the environment.
We will also be working closely with wildlife, conservation and farming organisations, heritage and archaeological bodies and statutory authorities to ensure careful reinstatement of the land.
Where the pipeline crosses dry stone walls, we will dismantle them, store the material and re-use as much as possible when rebuilding them. We will use local stone as replacement where necessary, and reinstatement will be carried out by qualified/registered dry stone walling contractors. We will ensure reinstatement is in keeping with surrounding walls and of 'equal or better' condition, in line with the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain guidelines.
A map of the pipeline route is included with the non-technical summary of the Environmental Statement on this website.