Largely invisible when the project is completed, work will commence in April on a new pipeline for gas transmission in Gloucestershire.

More than ten years after the proposal was first made, six miles of new underground infrastructure has been approved by Cotswold planners, enabling what's claimed to be a step forward for the UK's transition to carbon-neutral energy provision.

National Gas Transmission will be putting the spades in the ground for the job. It will connect pipework in Honeybourne, just inside Worcestershire, and then run south west beneath the tourism hotspot Broadway before worming its way to Wormington, near Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire.

Wormington will also see what's known as a new 'pigging station' which provides access for equipment when needed for underground maintenance.

The new section aims to increase supply of gas through the west of England, allowing Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), imported via Europe's largest LNG terminal at Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, to be used instead of North Sea gas. Despite running through AONB land, the work is within permitted development rules and subject to less planning scrutiny. Pipework will be within a 2.5m-deep trench and relandscaped with topsoil and all damaged hedgerow replaced.

National Gas said: "Enabling the transition to net zero means we need to increase capacity to accommodate more gas from South Hook LNG Terminal. We currently anticipate being able to bring forward the date when the additional capacity will be available from Jan 2026 to during 2025, with the intention that all project work be complete in 2026.

"How we achieve this increase in capacity is important - construction has environmental and community impacts, and the cost of the work is met by households and businesses through energy bills.

In March 2022, National Grid plc said it intended to sell a 60% equity stake in the Gas Transmission and Metering business to a consortium led by Macquarie and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. The £4.2bn completion of the sale to a newly created holding company structure took place January 31st. Following completion, the company began to operate under a new name, National Gas Transmission plc.