Campaigners prepare for key hearings into Norwich to Tilbury power line project
The public hearing allows people to share their thoughts to an unbiased committee
Last updated 10th Feb 2026
Campaigners opposing National Grid’s proposed Norwich to Tilbury electricity transmission project say they are preparing for a “fight” as the public hearing is underway this week.
Open floor hearings organised by the Planning Inspectorate are due to take place in Ipswich today and tomorrow (Tuesday the 10th and 11th of February), giving registered individuals, councils and organisations the opportunity to outline their views on the application for development consent.
The proposed infrastructure project would see new electricity transmission lines running between Norfolk and Essex as part of wider efforts to support the UK’s energy network.
Rosie Pearson, founder of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons Action Group, has previously spoken out about a recent offshore wind project in the North Sea, which would mean the UK and its European allies will sign a new clean energy pact to supply multiple nations, according to the Department for Energy Security.
The Hamburg Declaration includes Germany, Norway, France and Denmark and aims to "escape the fossil fuel rollercoaster" and power homes and businesses across the continent, it added.
She was concerned about what she described as a lack of coordination in national energy infrastructure planning.
“It looks like the exact opposite of everything we’ve been arguing for for the past few years,” she said.
“Yes, it’s great that the UK is coordinating with Europe; we have been asking for that, but what it looks like is that Ed Miliband simply wants to plug in more and more wind farms and interconnectors into the UK without any evidence that that infrastructure will be coordinated.”
Pearson added that, in her view, projects were being delivered “piecemeal”.
“It is literally project by project, so that all the stretches of the coastline around East Anglia and Lincolnshire are getting hit by these projects that come in from Europe and from the North Sea,” she said. “For me, it’s very worrying.”
For Rosie, this is just another uncoordinated infrastructure project. It was nearly four years ago that she started the campaign group, fighting against pylons being built from Norwich to Tilbury,
It would extend 80 kilometres from the Norwich Main substation via Bramford substation, there would be a new East Anglia Connection Node (EACN) Substation and a new Tilbury North Substation.
The interactive map showing exactly where the pylons would go can be found here.
The hearing
The Planning Inspectorate hearings allow interested parties to expand on written submissions, although speaking slots are limited and typically range from three to five minutes.
Pearson warned that coastal communities could face continued disruption if projects are not planned together.
“The lack of coordination is what’s causing all the huge problems at the moment because you have coastal communities… where project after project lands on shore,” she said.
“You then have cable trenching across the coastal area and countryside to where a substation is, then you have a new substation and potentially a converter station, which is an enormous building.
“It means a continuation of project after project just causing huge damage to our coastlines and countryside.”
The action group has assembled a legal team and specialist advisers to support its case during the examination period, which is expected to last around six months.
“We’re very, very set up for it,” Pearson said.
“Our barrister last year was ranked in planning circles as the best in the country… and we’ve got a brilliant solicitor who’s won some really good campaigns for communities before.
“So it’ll be a fight, but we’re well prepared for it.”
She also encouraged people who have registered with the Planning Inspectorate to take part in the process.
“If anyone is registered with the inspectorate, they should definitely make the most of the opportunity to go and have their say to the inspector and lay out really clearly everything that affects them about this project,” she said.
National Grid has previously said the Norwich to Tilbury project is needed to help transport increasing amounts of renewable electricity across the country and support the transition to lower-carbon energy.
The Planning Inspectorate will examine evidence from all parties before making a recommendation to the Government, which will take the final decision on whether development consent is granted.
Government response
A government spokesperson said:
“Every wind turbine, solar panel and pylon we build helps protect families from future energy shocks.
“We have commissioned the National Energy System Operator to develop the first ever Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, which will support a more actively planned approach to energy projects, bring good jobs to communities and help to lower bills.”
Background:
- All projects are subject to a rigorous planning process, and the views of the local community must be taken into account.
- We have put forward proposals to see Britain’s coastal and rural communities receive a cash boost for new community facilities, such as better transport links and investment in apprenticeships, when they host new onshore or offshore wind or solar farms.
More information on the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) is available here.
National Grid response
A National Grid spokesperson said: “We understand there is strong local interest in Norwich to Tilbury, which is needed to help meet growing electricity demand across East Anglia and beyond. The open hearings mark the start of an independent examination led by the Planning Inspectorate, which will consider people’s views, effects on the local area and environmental considerations, following our extensive consultation with more than 20,000 local people.
“If approved, the project will help unlock economic growth, support skilled jobs and ensure homes, businesses and public services in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have access to the electricity they increasingly rely on.”