Tiddenfoot Park closures for power work will continue until June

Public access to the lower part of Tiddenfoot Waterside Park will be restricted this Spring as National Grid carry out major national improvements.
Tiddenfoot Waterside ParkTiddenfoot Waterside Park
Tiddenfoot Waterside Park

The work is part of the essential maintenance work on National Grid’s overhead line between East Claydon and Sundon, the line runs through the lower part of the park.

National Grid has already begun restricting public access to a section of the park while the linesmen are working on the towers and the new conductors are being winched through the running blocks.

There will be a further exclusion zone because of vehicle movements and access to the pylons to support the linesmen working on the towers.

Paul Burgess, countryside manager for Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “The safest option is to temporarily close the southern end of Tiddenfoot Lake whilst linesmen are working on the towers.

“Therefore it is proposed to close the access to the park when work is being carried out for not more than 3 to 4 days at a time, and then there will be no more working for 3 to 4 days.”

A National Grid spokesperson said: “We’re currently carrying out essential maintenance work on our overhead line between East Claydon and Sundon, to ensure a safe and reliable electricity network in the area.

“This work includes replacing wires and other equipment. The line runs through the lower part of Tiddenfoot Waterside Park.

“The works will require access restrictions to some area around the lake on certain days and we will only be notifying users in advance of these closures.

“Before this date, our contractor, Balfour Beatty, will be carrying out preliminary works such as vegetation clearance and hedge trimming around the base of two pylons in the park and putting up scaffolding between the pylon and Mentmore Road.

“The whole project will involve 30 towers across 15km. We don’t anticipate our works will cause any major disruption and the local electricity supply won’t be affected.

“When we’re crossing private land to carry out the works we have been liaising with the relevant landowners.”

The work should be completed and the site vacated by early June and the restrictions will be lifted.

National Grid will carry out reinstatement work when they leave the site.

For more information contact National Grid’s community relations team on 0300 0130818.