Essex County Council has confirmed it remains in opposition to latest plans to install hundreds of pylons and miles of cables across parts of the county.
National Grid released updated plans for consultation to install 183 kilometres of pylons between Norwich and Tilbury, which the council, along with Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils, has confirmed still do not address the main concerns it has about the proposals.
Among the reasons the council remains opposed to the plans include the consultation lacking evidence needed to justify the project being delivered by 2030, and the reliance on it being delivered by onshore technology without alternatives being properly scrutinised.
The environmental assessment work so far does not support the council to understand what the impacts of the project would be fully.
The plans also do not set out how Essex will benefit from the project, nor what social value or community benefit funding will be available to the county if it goes ahead.
The project would be supported by 520 pylons, expected to be 50 metres high, and a large substation on the Tendring Peninsula approximately 20 hectares in size. This is in addition to four sections of underground cabling.
A significant impact on the highways network throughout Essex is also expected if the project is agreed as developers use the county’s roads and public rights of way to access key sites.
Essex County Councillor Lesley Wagland, Deputy to the Leader with principal accountabilities on Major Infrastructure Projects and Freeports, said: “National Grid’s current plans for the Norwich to Tilbury pylon project remain wide of the mark of what is acceptable to the people of Essex and fail to consider the long-term impact it would have on Essex, with very little offered by way of social value and community benefits.
“The plans are not just for pylons, cabling and substations, but what appears to be a temporary road network simply to allow developers access to the land needed for this project. This in turn will churn up the green belt, undermine the viability of much-needed high quality local housing, worsen the condition of our roads and risk bringing Essex to a standstill, when the need for this project on National Grid’s current timetable remains unproven.
“I urge National Grid to now conduct a full and frank analysis of the responses they have received, what this will mean for Essex and the impact of alternative options.”
