Controversial plans to build a corridor of pylons through the Canterbury countryside move a step closer today.

The National Grid will submit an official application for the 12-mile route, sparking what could be a year-long wrangle over the decision to approve it or not.

If given the green light, as many as 70 pylons standing up to 46 metres tall will be constructed between Richborough and the Broad Oak Road sub-station in Canterbury.

VIDEO REPORT: Plans for pylons in Canterbury countryside angers villagers. Ben Kennedy reports

Called the Richborough Connection, it would link to Belgium via undersea cables, accessing electricity produced on the continent to help meet increasing demand for power.

The plans have meet considerable opposition, with both Canterbury City Council and Kent County Council questioning the route of the 400kV pylons, which will pass the villages of Sarre, Upstreet, Hersden, Westbere and Broad Oak.

County council leader, Paul Carter, said in April the authority opposed the “imposition of pylons on this important area of special countryside”.

He said: “There is total local opposition to the pylons, particularly in the Broad Oak area, due to the doubling in size of the pylons compared with the current ones and their close proximity to houses and businesses.”

He said he also feared the pylons would impact on housing plans for Hersden and Sturry, as well as proposals for a reservoir at Broad Oak.

In a letter to the energy giant, he wrote: “KCC strongly advise National Grid to use underground cables along the route to minimise the visual impact and to ensure it does not impact on the proposed site allocations.”

The scheme has undergone considerable public consultation and National Grid says the feedback and results of technical and environmental studies have forced it to make changes to its application.

These include moving the proposed route north of UK Power Networks’ lines in the Ash Level to minimise the impact on the local environment and wildlife, in particular birds.

The route has also been moved around the campsite at Nethergong as a result of protected species being identified through National Grid surveys and the feedback received.

UK Power Networks’ existing 132kV overhead line will still be removed as part of the scheme.

Project manager, Steve Self, said: “We value your feedback and would like to thank all those who have contributed to the consultation.

“We believe our final proposal strikes the right balance between everything we’ve been told; the planning and environmental guidelines we have to follow and the engineering needed to build the connection.”

The Planning Inspectorate has 28 days from today to decide if the application has met the right standard to proceed to examination.

If accepted, inspectors will then look at the plans and those with an interest in the project will be told how they can register to give their views.

The process will last up to six months, with the Planning Inspectorate then given a further three months to make a recommendation to the secretary of state for energy and climate change.

The secretary of state then has a further three months to decide whether to give the application the go-ahead.

Full details of the application, including copies of all studies, reports, maps and plans, will shortly be available.

Anyone with questions can call National Grid’s community relations team on 0800 1577878 or visit www.richboroughconnection.co.uk.