East group urge PM to stick by summer promise to move pylon project out of region
Rishi Sunak said he would look at finding “alternative solutions” to the National Grid's 'GREEN project'
A local action group say they're confident that the Government will stop a 110-mile electricity pylon line from being built in East Anglia.
Rishi Sunak has previously said he would look at finding “alternative solutions” to the National Grid's 'GREEN project'.
In an August letter, a spokesman for Mr Sunak said he was “committed to doing all he can to reduce the amount of infrastructure required onshore”.
The current plan is for the 50m-high pylons to start in Norfolk's Dunston and run through Suffolk and Essex and end in Tilbury.
Thousands of people across the East have argued the scheme will have negative impact on the surrounding landscape and environment. More than 22,000 have signed a petition against it earlier this year.
"It goes through all three counties, through beautiful landscapes"
Rosie Pearson chairs the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group.
"This has been bubbling away behind the scenes for a long time and people who are going to be affected only found out about it in April, when it was presented as a done deal. So, that puts people off opposing projects. They feel that if it's a 'done deal' and with such a big company and government behind it, there's no point fighting it. It definitely can be changed we have the support of MPs. There is a much better option, which is to put it offshore".
"A wood that my parents planted a few years ago, some of that will have to be cut down if the pylons go across. The impact is huge, the difficulty some people might have is being able to see that, if they aren't going to be affected by it. But people are really upset."
"It goes through all three counties, through beautiful landscape and unspoiled countryside. We know from our supporters that they are really upset about what it means for the local landscape. But it's not just that, it's the environmental impact as well, trees will have to be cut down".
"This might not be as high priority as we'd like it to be"
She admits a lot of hard work still needs to be done:
"The PM has a lot on his plate as we all know. This might not be as high priority as we'd like it to be. So, our challenge is to bring it to the top of his in-tray, and we hope that because so many local MP and local councils support the offshore, we hope that they will help to raise it in his agenda as well".
What has the response to all this been?
A National Grid spokeswoman said:
“The next phase of consultation in late Spring 2023 will include detailed information showing how we have developed the scheme in response to the feedback received, as well as providing greater detail on the route of the proposed onshore corridor and how we will be mitigating impacts on local communities living in close proximity.
“We strongly encourage local communities to continue to engage with us.
“Consultation feedback and local knowledge will help us to develop the best way forward while supporting the ambition of the country to achieve targets for clean power, efficiently, economically and quickly.”
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, was approached for comment- but did not respond.