Bramley to Melksham Upgrade
Increasing capacity on the UK electricity network
Starting in early 2024, National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) will be carrying out essential upgrades to the overhead electricity line from Bramley in Hampshire to Melksham in Wiltshire.
NGET is to upgrade this 82km stretch of high voltage overhead electricity lines to increase capacity and enable more clean energy projects in South West England and Wales to be connected onto the UK electricity network.
The project is among the first in a series of circuit upgrades taking place across the country which aim to speed up connections to the electricity transmission network and support a secure, affordable and net zero energy system.
Project overview
The programme involves both the replacement of pylon fittings and replacing and upgrading the conductors - these are the wires strung between the 229 pylons on the route, along which the electricity is transmitted.
This essential maintenance will ensure the long-term energy security for the South West of England on both the high-voltage electricity transmission network and the local distribution network supplied to homes and businesses.
This work is separate to the North Wessex Downs Visual Impact Provision project that is taking place across Roundway Hill near Devizes, situated to the west of the Bramley to Melksham line upgrade route. For more information about this project, please visit: www.nationalgrid.com/northwessexvip
When will the work be happening?
Following environmental and technical surveys of the areas in 2023, work on the Bramley to Melksham upgrade project will be take place between 2024 and 2025. A breakdown of the time periods when the works will take place can be found below.
Preparation works will take place from January to April 2024. During this time, our teams will carry out essential vegetation clearance works along the route.
This activity is happening outside of the bird nesting season and will be kept to a minimum – we’ll only be cutting what we need to to allow our teams safe access to the working areas.
The main construction works will then take place in two phases:
- Phase 1: April 2024-October 2024 – between Bramley and Beechingstoke, to the west of Pewsey
- Phase 2: July 2025-October 2025 – between Beechingstoke and Melksham
What can people expect to see during the main construction works?
The main work for the Bramley to Melksham overhead line upgrade will be carried out by small teams of our experienced engineers, working from one pylon to the next along the route.
Most of our activity will be taking place on private land and away from residential areas. It will not require significant numbers of vehicle movements and the work will not affect electricity supplies in the area.
Some roads, lanes and footpaths will be temporarily closed during our works in certain locations along the route. In these cases, we will inform local communities in advance of any disruption through local letter drops and updates on this webpage to explain what the work will involve and how long it is expected to take.
Our working hours will be between 7:30am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday. We will also be working every other weekend.
We will be contacting parish councils and key stakeholders prior to work starting to inform them about what work is happening and how long we anticipate it will take. We will also be writing to some households along the route where appropriate, to inform them about the work that is taking place and providing our contact details. This correspondence will also provide the contact details for our community relations team to help with any enquiries, which you can find below.
Access will be maintained to all properties along route during the works. If we anticipate that the work is likely to cause any disruption near your property, we will contact you in advance to inform you of the relevant further details.
Some of the initial vegetation clearance works will require the use of chainsaws, which you may hear if you are out and about. However, the work involved in replacing the overhead conductors is not generally noisy and will be taking place on private land and away from residential areas in local towns and villages. We will work very hard to keep any noise to a minimum, however if you are outdoors and near the line you may occasionally notice some noise from the project.
We may at times need to install some temporary traffic management measures near our works. There will be a number of closures to small roads and lanes, where diversion routes will be clearly signed. Some temporary traffic lights installed in certain areas for short periods. If we need to close or restrict parking on some roads in the area whilst we carry out our work, we will write to residents in advance and keep them informed of any traffic impacts.
We will do all that we can to ensure that our presence is minimal whilst we are in the area. Where the overhead line crossed Public Rights of Way (PRoW) and Permissive Rights of Way, we will need to enforce short, temporary footpath closures or diversions.
In the case of a footpath closure or diversion, we will keep the community informed by posting closure information on our project webpage and placing advanced notice and diversion signs at any closure points before the work starts. Please see the 'project documents' section below for further details.
Before beginning any project, we carry out an environmental assessment of any areas that may be affect by our work. This includes consulting with a wide range of local environmental groups and landowners to ensure that where possible, we avoid any potential impact on the environment or disruption to wildlife.
Where we have to work in a sensitive area such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), we always ensure that our methods of working are developed in conjunction with the relevant authorities to make sure that any disturbances are kept to an absolute minimum.
National Grid’s Community Grant Programme
The National Grid Community Grant Programme is for organisations and charities in communities where our work is impacting local people through our operations and on-site activities.
This grant helps to fund projects which are run by charities and community groups that meet local needs, by providing a range of social, economic and environmental benefits.
For more information about the grant and eligibility for funding, click here: Community Grant Programme | National Grid Group
Getting in touch
If you have any questions about the project or would like any more information, please contact our community relations team.
You can get in touch with us by:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0330 134 0061 This line is available from 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. If prompted, please leave a message with your name and contact number and we will get back to you as soon as we can.