A CONTROVERSIAL £500m project to link the national grids of the UK and France will be fought to the “bitter end” despite its approval by councillors. 

A residents group has vowed to continue its campaign against the scheme which would involve the construction of a 22m high (72ft) converter station at the former HMS Daedalus site in Lee-on-the-Solent.

National Grid’s application was approved by Fareham Borough Council’s planning committee at a packed meeting at Ferneham Hall yesterday.

The proposals will bring undersea high voltage power cables ashore at Monks Hill Beach in Hillhead. The cables will then go under Stubbington Lane and will run parallel to the main runway at the Daedalus airfield before reaching the new converter station.

The station will convert the direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) before sending it along the coast to a substation near Chilling, Warsash where it will be connected to the national grid.

National Grid’s energy infrastructure project, known as IFA2, has faced widespread criticism for its potential impact on tourism and nearby residents – with 1,134 people objecting to the plan.

Roy Wilkinson, chairman of Peel Common Residents’ Association, said his and nearby associations hope the application will be called in by the Secretary of State.

Mr Wilkinson said: “We are not just going to throw our hands in and say ‘That’s the end of that’ – we will go through to the bitter end to get a positive result.

“We are pinning our hopes on the calling in notice and will be preparing for that. We have done a lot of work getting our act together with respect to this planning.”

Richard Astbury, vice-chairman of Hill Head Residents’ Association, said: “I am very disappointed, but I am not surprised because my personal belief is that it was a done deal in the first place.

“I assume that the application will now be called in and go to ministerial level. 

“At the moment, I feel that we have done all we can. I do not believe there is anything we can do except hope that it will undergo the calling in process.”

Councillor Nick Walker, chairman of Fareham Borough Council’s planning committee, said: “This is an important planning proposal for Fareham and one that has led to considerable local interest.

“Having looked at and balanced all relevant planning issues, it was considered that the proposal would make a valuable contribution towards securing the supply of electricity for the nation.”

Mr Walker added that while the committee acknowledged that some “negative impacts” could arise, measures were put in place to ensure they were kept to a minimum.

Morris Bray, National Grid’s IFA2 director, said: “IFA2 will play an important role in helping to reduce the cost of electricity for homes and businesses, provide opportunities for shared use of more diverse sources of generation and help to improve security of electricity supplies in the UK.”

Preparatory work on the IFA2 project is expected to start in autumn this year, before construction begins next year.

The project is earmarked to be completed by 2020.