PLANS by South West Water to carry out work at Hill Bridge near Peter Tavy will ruin a local beauty spot and deny access, campaigners against the application claim. South West Water has submitted a planning application to Dartmoor National Park Authority to upgrade and modify the leat intake, stating this will prevent fish from getting into Mary Tavy power station, which is served by the leat. Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, said she had known Hill Bridge for more than 40 years: ?It is a lovely, tranquil spot which is popular with local people and visitors for its natural beauty, the rushing river, the leat and the beautiful woodland.? Ms Ashbrook said the proposed development, which includes a gantry cleaner and intake, would be an eyesore compared with existing, small-scale structures. ?People love to climb down to the river and paddle and picnic there. It?s an ideal spot for kids to play,? she said. She claimed the development could prevent that and make such an activity dangerous. ?It would be outrageous to deny people their customary access to the river. ?Both the beauty and enjoyment of Hill Bridge are under threat from this development. Surely we don?t have to accept such a blot on the landscape?? Local resident Gerry Searle echoed the sentiments, saying there were 35 children there at the weekend. ?It?s a beauty spot and is going to be ruined,? he claimed. He said a group of local residents was submitting a protest against the application to Dartmoor National Park. Mr Searle claimed SWW was just trying to save money and a similar previous application had been turned down. He said: ?At present, fish go into the leat and the water board come and stun and transfer them. In autumn a man has to come regularly to clear leaves from the grid so they don?t block the turbine. ?The proposed work isn?t going to stop fish going through, but there will be a machine to get rid of leaves. There will have to be railings all round to stop access.? Louise Bennett from South West Water denied it was a cost-saving exercise: ?It is going to cost us far more than any saving, even more than if we had a man there every day.? She added that they had been instructed by the Environment Agency that the changes were needed to comply with new EU directives concerning salmon. She said the scheme would improve the flow of water along the river, easing fish passage up and down stream. The new scheme will replace the current large screening devices with smaller, more effective screens, which would prevent migrating salmon getting diverted into Mary Tavy power station or trapped in the leat intake. Ms Bennett confirmed there would still be access to the bridge and river for people to picnic. Paul Gainey, of the Environment Agency, confirmed the present situation regarding salmon was ?not perfect? and something had to be done. ?The screens are quite minimal and are in the water. At present there is no protection for the habitat. This way we can protect it,? he said. People have until August 4 to lodge comments on the application, which will go before the planning committee later in the year.
