OPPONENTS of plans for 11 miles of overhead cables across parts of rural Conwy and Denbighshire have lost their legal battle.

But despite a High Court ruling the action group Pylon the Pressure may take the fight to yet another round.

In July last year the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark gave the go-ahead for SPManweb to erect pylons along the route from two windfarms in Clocaenog Forest to a sub-station at Glascoed, near St Asaph. There had originally been four windfarms but two have since been withdrawn.

The Minister’s decision followed a lengthy public examination early in the year at which landowners, environmentalists, politicians and local authorities called for the cables to be laid underground because of the impact on the landscape and on farming operations.

The action group was granted leave for a judicial review and after raising £30,000 to fund the legal action a two-day High Court hearing took place in Llangefni last month.

It has now been announced that the presiding judge Mr Justice Lewis has rejected the appeal on the grounds that Mr Clark had applied the relevant policies in reaching his decision.

One of the main arguments against the overhead lines was the impact on the 16th-century farmhouse Berain, near Llannefydd, which would have 18 poles across its land.

The listed building was the home of Katheryn of Berain, a powerful Welsh noblewoman from the period of Elizabeth 1, who was known as the mother of Wales.

John Mars-Jones, who has lived at Berain with his family for the past 24 years, is one of the leaders of the Pylon the Pressure group and he had argued that the powerlines and poles would blight his property and interfere with his farming operations.

He said that although the High Court ruling was a blow they had still not given up the battle.

“We are seeking a second opinion on some of the points made in the judgement and it could result in out going to appeal,” he said.