Norwich to Tilbury pylon project hearings under way

3 hours ago

Ben Parkerand

Richard Daniel

Matt Knight/BBC Two rows of pylons standing against a moderately cloudy sky.

Plans for a 114-mile (about 185km) network of pylons and cables are the subject of at a series of hearings being led by the Planning Inspectorate this week.

National Grid wants to build the electricity network through Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, running from Norwich to Tilbury.

Project manager Simon Pepper said it was a "critical national priority project", and if the pylons were not built it would mean "there wouldn't be energy available to support economic growth and business and homes".

But campaigners have argued the project should be scrapped and alternatives to pylons should be considered.

John Fairhall/BBC Simon Pepper with short grey hair. He is wearing a dark blue suit, a light blue shirt and a dark blue patterned tie. He is looking at the camera with other people facing away in the background. — Simon Pepper said the proposals were important for energy security

The pylons and cables would carry energy from offshore wind farms.

Plans were submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in August, and the government will make the final decision on whether the project can go ahead.

Pepper said energy demand in the UK would "double over the next few years" and it was "really important that the network was in place to allow the energy to flow in to East Anglia and beyond".

He said all options had been considered, including putting the cables underground or offshore.

The plans include about 13 miles (about 20km) of underground cabling through the Dedham Vale National Landscape, along the Suffolk-Essex border.

Pepper said National Grid had had "thousands of conversations with people who may be affected by the project" and it was "important that those people with a concern have those views heard in front of the independent Planning Inspectorate".

A map showing the location of the proposed power line route, running from Norwich to Tilbury.

Rosie Pearson, founder of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group, said the project would "destroy landscape and heritage and reduce people's house prices".

She said campaigners had been ignored by National Grid, and the six-month inspection period was an "exciting opportunity" for people to have their say.

Individuals will be given three minutes to address inspectors at the hearings and organisations, such as councils, will get five minutes.

Pearson said the time limit was too short.

"If you are someone that is hugely impacted by these pylons, you might not be able to sell your house, you're seeing everything you love about your landscapes being destroyed," she said.

"You have so much to say. To say that emotionally in just three minutes, in a dry legal setting, is just too short."