Lovedean to Bolney Overhead Line Refurbishment

National Grid owns and operates the electricity transmission network in England and Wales.

We will be carrying out essential maintenance work on the 400kV overhead electricity transmission line between Lovedean in Hampshire and Bolney in West Sussex. The overhead line is approximately 64.5km in length and you can find an interactive map of the route on our project webpage.

While the refurbishment is ongoing, you can expect to see work to establish access routes, repairs to pylon steelwork, and engineers working at height to replace the fittings. Our working hours will be between 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, and between 8am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

We will be carrying out the work in phases, so if you live near the line, you will not see people working in one area throughout the whole of the main refurbishment work period.

This overhead line has not been fully refurbished since it was constructed in 1966. Our refurbishment and upgrade work will ensure that we can continue to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity to homes and businesses in the area for years to come.

Our main refurbishment work will begin in March 2025 and is anticipated to last until November 2025. 

In advance of the first stage of refurbishment work starting in March, an inspection of each pylon is required, to assess their condition. This requires the site surrounding each pylon to be prepared, to ensure our contractors can access the pylons safely, which involves clearing any vegetation and installing trackway to create safe access routes.

A full, proposed timetable is available below:

• November 2024 - March 2025 – Initial site set up, including vegetation clearance work and inspection of pylons
• March 2025 - June 2025 – Refurbishment work starts on pylons, the fittings and insulators are replaced
• May 2025 - June 2025 – Second round of vegetation clearance work to cover any regrowth, in order for works to take place safely on the remaining pylons
• June 2025 - August 2025 – Second round of refurbishment work on pylons, the fittings and insulators are replaced
• August 2025 - 23 October 2025 – Works are expected to be completed, and the site team will undertake any reinstatement work required.

The Lovedean to Bolney Overhead Line continues to operate safely. We inspect and maintain the pylons regularly to ensure they’re continually operating safely and efficiently. This refurbishment work forms part of our ongoing commitment to upgrade the network to meet the growing demand on the network.

None of our work will affect electricity supplies. 

The overhead line consists of 190 steel pylons with two circuits and we need to refurbish each circuit. This will be done separately to allow electricity provision to be maintained when the power is turned off on one side of the pylons.

We take safety very seriously and will discuss any work that takes place directly over people’s properties with the landowner in advance and ensure that where needed the relevant protection is put in place.

No. We will refurbish the overhead line from Lovedean to Bolney substations. This will not involve constructing any new pylons.

We do not anticipate our work causing any major disruption, but you may hear some noise while we are working or notice some construction vehicles in your local area.

To carry out these works we will need to temporarily close a small number of local roads, footpaths and bridleways where they intersect with the overhead line route. 

We’re currently in discussion with local authorities along the line about these limited closures and we will ensure that these are communicated with local communities ahead of them taking place. These closures will ensure the safety of members of the public and workers whilst these essential maintenance works are being undertaken.

Road and lane closures will be kept to a minimum and only scheduled following conversation and agreement with the relevant local authority. You may notice some temporary traffic management signage for site access and diversions, for example where we install scaffolding and netting in specific locations to carry out the work on the overhead line. These measures will be implemented to ensure the safety of both members of the public and our team whilst these essential works are taking place.

The amount of traffic going to and from the pylons will depend on when the work is due to be carried out. While there may be a very small increase in traffic during some stages of our work in specific areas, we will manage the volume of movements to limit any disruption on local roads.

We need to clear vegetation from around the base of some of the pylons and underneath overhead lines so that our contractors can have the access they need to be able to carry out the refurbishment work safely. 

We are committed to minimising the impact of our work on local wildlife and the environment. We will work under the guidance of our ecologists when we remove the vegetation to ensure that what we clear is proportionate. 

All vegetation clearance is being undertaken in line with the guidance and consent provided by the relevant authorities. We will work in agreement with the relevant landowners to ensure any reinstatement required after the work is appropriate to the level of impact.

We are committed to minimising the impact of work on local wildlife and the environment. 

Our ecologists have undertaken extensive survey work along the overhead line route, including site walkovers and targeted species surveys at specific locations. We will work under the guidance of ecologists when we remove the vegetation to ensure the clearance is kept to a minimum.

This project forms part of our management of the high-voltage electricity transmission network. Refurbishment forms part of our annual multibillion pound investment and management in maintaining and upgrading infrastructure to ensure a resilient and reliable network for homes and businesses in the UK for years to come.

Our team is available daily between 9am to 4:30pm on 0800 9987802. The number is available to:

• ask any questions or request further information
• report any feedback – positive or negative – or register concerns.