An initiative to underground overhead power lines in the village of Port Isaac in Cornwall has been completed.

The initiative is the result of a partnership between the former North Cornwall District Council, St Endellion Parish Council, Western Power Distribution (WPD) and the local community group, St Endellion Economic Regeneration forum (STEER) which was behind the project's inception.

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Port Isaac village represents one of the best examples of a historic Cornish fishing village in the county and as such the old village sits within a Conservation Area. However, due to its narrow streets and densely packed cottages, services such as overhead electricity and phone cables on poles criss-crossed the roofscape and detracted significantly from the historic environment.

To improve this setting WPD agreed to underground their cables in the heart of the village, providing labour and materials for the works, while trenching costs were covered by the District and Parish councils with a contribution of £50,000 and £20,000 respectively. The majority of the undergrounding was undertaken by RBS Groundworks of Trispen near Truro.

(CD/JM)