Agenda item

The Council’s Public Speaking Scheme for the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee gives the opportunity for members of the public and other interested parties/stakeholders to speak to the Council’s elected members on that Committee on any specific agenda item to be considered at that public meeting.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Council’s public speaking scheme for the Planning Policy & Local Plan Committee, no member of the public had registered to ask at this meeting a question.

Parish Councillor Carolyn Mason made statements, on behalf of Ardleigh Parish Council, regarding the matters contained in the reports of the Director (Planning), namely A.1 and A.3.

In respect of report A.1, Parish Councillor Mason stated that Ardleigh Parish Council welcomed Tendring District Council's response and endorses its content and objections to the National Grid. The Parish Council would be submitting its own response and she hoped that councillors and officers would find the time to read it. A draft copy had been published on the Parish Council’s website for local residents to refer to. Considerable time had been spent on the submission not only by the clerk to the Parish Council but also the councillors, members of the community and businesses and local groups and the Parish Council had also engaged its own barrister to advise on the content, particularly mitigation and the Parish Council especially welcomed the recognition that Tendring District Council had given to the considerable harm that would be caused. Not only would the parish have the EACN, but also underground cabling from Lamb Corner to the EACN and the returning 2150 meter high pylons that would circle around the village and out to the A12. The Parish Council requested Tendring District Council to amend its proposed consultation response to make clear that the substation is in fact in Ardleigh and not Lawford. The Parish Council highlighted the local impacts for communities and the extensive, cumulative impacts from the Norwich to Tilbury and the two offshore wind farms projects which could overwhelm communities like Ardleigh. There would be harm to the environment, farming and health. The Parish Council had concluded, through consultation with local businesses likely to be affected, that there would be significant loss of business and therefore loss of employment and that should National Grid proceed, every consideration should be given to compensating the local economy. The District of Tendring would experience a disproportionate level of intensive negative impacts and thus the Council should expect a stronger focus on mitigation measures by National Grid. Therefore, the Parish Council would like Tendring District Council to recognize the mitigations that it had listed in its documents and take that into account when negotiating with National Grid sometime in the future.

In respect of report A.3, Parish Councillor Mason stated that Ardleigh Parish Council greatly thanked Tendring District Council for all the support that it had given the Parish Council in producing its neighbourhood plan and were happy to confirm that it had got a date of 12th September 2024 for the local referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan.

The Planning Policy Officer (Eleanor Storey) responded by complimenting Ardleigh Parish Council on its excellent consultation response and undertook to alter Tendring District Council’s response to make it clear that the EACN was in the parish of Ardleigh. She also undertook to look at the Parish Council’s proposed mitigations in any conversations with National Grid going forward.