Places features

What do you think of the plans for an 18km gas pipeline under the Dorset countryside and the gas storage caverns at Portland?

Pat Bowdler
The need for gas means disconfort for some- especially during the construction of the pipe storage area. Usually the area of such a venture is changed permanently. I hope that this area will be restored to its pleasant atate.

Godfrey Broad
1. We should be putting more resources into solar water heating and solar electricity from photovoltaic cells rather than burning vast quantities of gas which producing carbon dioxide. 2. Some Dorset villages nearby do not have mains gas!

Steve L
Brillient timing, ready for the additional Olympic traffic.

Bill Woodhouse
Rachel Barton says, "Everything has been taken into account." As Chairman of Mappowder Village Meeting I have to dispute this. What so far has not been taken into account is the viable alternative route that Mappowder village has put forward to utilise the infrastructure laid down for the oil well rig a few years ago. This will allow the bulk of the heavy traffic to by-pass the tight bends and narrow village street, which is barely wide enough to accommodate present day milk tankers.We hope that at Friday 16th May's planning meeting the voice of the village will yet be heard and listened to. As a concept the Portland Storage and associated pipeline is brilliant and obviously in the national interest but a little more cooperation with local concerns would be welcome.

C. Holding
I live in the tiny rural village of Mappowder which gets no gas supply but where this important project connects into the main UK gas network. The project is clearly strategicaly important to UK infrastructure and well planned with great care for the environment. But since my village will suffer major disruption from heavy Construction Traffic through the narrow local lanes I feel strongly that we should be compensated by connection of gas to the village.

Russ O'Callaghan
This seems to be a develpoment that will leave very little scarring on the countryside that it involves. There would appear to be sound local and national reasons for its going ahead. it's all very well for people who want to pop down to Portland for one day in their lives and spend tuppence-three-farthings while they're down here, but that's not much of a valuable long-standing contribution to the local economy. Here's a chance to put Dorset on the national map.

Ashley Smith
weymouth is a real nice place lets try to make portland better not worse

martin cobb
this will be good for dorset

Gill McColl
Why on earth do they need to carve up the Dorset countryside to bring it down to Portland. Portland is a unique area so please leave it alone.

Steve, Portland
Portland has the greatest chance in it history to really get something good done for the island with the building of these gas storage chambers & pipeline.For one, councillors could insist on a decent road being built through the island to replace the totally useless one that is there at present.But it seems that the councillors are going to sell Portland short once again. All we Portlanders will be getting is a visitors centre and some other crummy projects involving goats. What use are they to us Portlanders?Come on councillors, get some backbone and do some good for Portland for once.

David Geary
Anything that brings work to this deprived area must be good. This may cause disruption to start but will be invisible after.

Deborah Perry
I think due to the disruption of this building work taking place over a number of years the community should be given more. Perhaps funding to local village that this work will pass through or to build a community leisure centre for the resident of Dorchester. A nice offer for the disruption but not enough.

Kel
Should provide some interesting opportunities for archaeological investigation, ahead of laying the pipeline.