New National Grid Norwich–Tilbury pylon consultation begins

A new round of public consultation on National Grid proposals for a high-voltage electricity power line across East Anglia begins today.

The 8-week consultation will share updated plans for a new 180km electricity transmission line between Norwich and Tilbury to connect offshore wind generation to the grid. 

The proposals form part of The Great Grid Upgrade and were originally called the East Anglia GREEN project.

The route for the new line, which would run mostly overground via 45-50m steel pylons, would pass through several parts of the Chelmsford City Council area.

Chelmsford City Council ‘strongly objected’ to the plans

Last year Chelmsford City Council strongly objected to the plans, saying that the 2022 consultation for the scheme was premature and that all options for transmitting electricity across the region had not been fully explored.

A response approved by the council’s Policy Board was submitted to National Grid as part of the first round of the consultation. The project is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) which means the Secretary of State needs to approve it through a Development Consent Order (DCO). Chelmsford City Council is a consultee in this process.

2023 consultation will include potential positions for pylons

This new round of consultation will ask for residents’ opinions about the updated proposals, which include potential positions for overhead lines and pylons, underground cables and a connection substation.

It will also include some details about cost, engineering and environmental assessments along with impacts on biodiversity, ecology and the visual landscape.

Two changes are proposed to the route alignment in Chelmsford. You can view the proposals for Chelmsford.

Consultation information event at Chelmsford Racecourse

Consultation events and online webinars will be run by National Grid for residents to find out more, alongside information on the project’s website.

A Chelmsford event will take place at Chelmsford City Racecourse (CM3 1QP) on Wednesday 12 July between 2pm and 7pm. If you are unable to make the Chelmsford event, other public information sessions will be taking place in nearby districts, including Basildon, Brentwood and Witham.

Paper copies of consultation materials will also be available to view at certain locations including Chelmsford Library (CM1 1QH) and Writtle Library (CM1 3DT).

More details about engagement events and webinars can be found in the drop-down sections of the consultation webpage.

Submit a response before 21 August

The consultation will run until 21 August. Go to the National Grid website to find out more about the project and take part in the consultation.

Chelmsford City Council will also examine the latest plans and submit its response to National Grid. This will be considered by the council’s Policy Board in September.