Suffolk campaigners prepare for legal battle as final pylon plans submitted shortly
National Grid is expected to submit its final plans for approval of the project of pylons from Norwich to Tilbury imminently
Campaigners fighting plans for pylons between Norwich and Tilbury say they are gearing up for a crucial stage in the process, and legal action is firmly on the table.
It's as the National Grid is set to submit its planning consent order to the Planning Inspectorate, imminently. The Inspectorate, an independent government body, will then begin a six-month examination. If the plans are approved, construction will be allowed to go ahead.
Rosie Pearson, founder of the Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk Pylons Action Group, says this is the moment for a “big push” from campaigners.
“This is where all our fundraising over the summer comes to useful fruition,” she said. “We all now need to be paying our legal advisors and planning advisors to put our case to the Planning Inspectorate, to say all the things we’ve been saying for three years that are wrong with the proposal and talk about all the better alternatives and better ways of doing things that National Grid has overlooked.”
Taking legal action
The group argues the consultation process has been “unlawful” and wants the proposals rejected before the examination even begins.
Pearson said: “We will be saying the process of consultation has been unlawful throughout every consultation National Grid has held, and we’ll be saying that it cannot even be accepted for examination.”
She added that if the project moves ahead, legal action is almost certain: “We will take myself and Ed) Miliband (Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change of the United Kingdom) to court. We think we’re going to have to because we know that the Labour government is so stubbornly in favour of any pylon come what may.”
"There are so many better ways of doing this"
Pearson insists campaigners aren’t opposing new energy infrastructure altogether, but want it delivered differently. “We’re not saying no to the infrastructure, we’re saying do it the way that is less harmful. So like the underground we’ve argued for, or the way they do it in Germany. It’s far less harmful to tourist businesses, to farmers, obviously to homeowners and to nature. So we are going to keep fighting this because there are better ways of doing things.”
Asked whether she had any hope the plans could still be turned down, Pearson was blunt: “No, this government has no interest in looking at things rationally in terms of energy infrastructure, and it has no interest in looking at the way things might be done better. But we are confident that our legal case is very strong.”
She confirmed recent fundraising was focused on covering the costs of expert advisors for the examination, but admitted another round will likely be needed. “If we have money left from that, that will go towards the legal fund. But no, there’s a high chance we’ll have to go and fundraise again, probably late next year for a legal challenge.”
Despite the scale of the task, Pearson says she feels supported: “I’m good because I have a really amazing committee and the supporters along the whole route… are brilliant. We’ve got an incredible barrister. We’ve got one of the best planning barristers in the country. We are making really strong arguments, common sense arguments, legal arguments, planning arguments. So we are in as good a position as we could be and that’s all we could really ask for at this stage.”
Government response
A DESNZ spokesperson said:
“We need new infrastructure to protect family and national finances with energy security, through clean homegrown power we control.
“We are overhauling the energy system, building the grid we need and connecting new power projects to reach our 2030 target.
“These are subject to a rigorous planning process, in which the views and interests of the local community are considered.”
Background:
- "We have also set out plans for households within up to 500 metres of new or significantly upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure to get up to £2,500 off their electricity bills over 10 years."
- "We are unable to comment on any potential legal action. "