Agenda item

To invite discussion and seek agreement from the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee to Tendring District Council’s formal response to the statutory consultation being carried out by National Grid on its proposed Norwich to Tilbury electricity power line connection project.

Earlier on in the meeting, as recorded under Minute 49 above, Councillor Fairley had declared a DPI and a Non-Registerable Interest in this matter but that also she had been granted a dispensation by the Monitoring Officer.

The Committee considered a report of the Director (Planning) (A.1), which invited discussion and sought its agreement to Tendring District Council’s formal response to the statutory consultation being carried out by National Grid on its proposed Norwich to Tilbury electricity powerline connection project.

Members recalled that the project was designed to reinforce the high voltage power network in East Anglia between existing substations. It was classed as a ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) for which planning approval would be sought from the Government through a ‘Development Consent Order’ (DCO) - with Tendring District Council being one of many consultees in the process and not the decision maker. The proposals however had very specific implications for the District of Tendring, and it was recommended that this Council, working closely with Essex County Council, continued to maintain strong objections.

The Committee was reminded that, as part of the global response to tackling climate change, the UK Government had a legislative commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 100% of 1990 levels (net zero) by 2050. Switching from high polluting fossil fuels to renewable energies had a significant role to play in mitigation of and adaption to the climate emergency.

It was reported that, in response to this, National Grid was seeking to upgrade the existing electricity transmission infrastructure between Norwich and Tilbury. This involved installing new overhead pylons and a new substation within the District of Tendring – located between Ardleigh and Little Bromley. This location was intended to provide the main connection point for major off-shore windfarm developments proposed in the North Sea, with their associated on-shore infrastructure expected to make landfall in and pass through the District of Tendring. The proposed substation East Anglian Connection Node (EACN) would receive underground cabling from the north (having travelled under the Dedham Vale National Landscape, previously known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), the cables would exit via overhead pylons westbound through Ardleigh.

Members were informed that this was National Grid’s third and (expected to be) last stage of public and stakeholder consultation for the Norwich to Tilbury proposals before it finalised its plans for submission to the Secretary of State. Due to the nature and size of the proposal, this project, qualified as a ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project’ (NSIP) for which there was a dedicated planning process, the ‘Development Consent Order’ (DCO) which was administered at national Government level by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS). Tendring District Council was not the determining body for proposals of this nature; the Council’s role, like all other Local Planning Authorities affected by the proposals, was that of a consultee with a right to make representations for or against the proposals.

The Committee was aware that, to date, all Councils affected by this project, across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, had objected to what was proposed, firmly advocating that the upgrading of this infrastructure would be better achieved with an offshore rather than an onshore solution. This would prevent the considerable negative impacts on the physical environment (both ecologically and visually) and on the communities who were directly affected by those onshore proposals. At all previous opportunities to engage in non-statutory consultation on the Norwich to Tilbury proposals, this Council had submitted strong objections. Most of the local concerns still remained, and it was therefore recommended by the Director (Planning) that the Council continued to maintain and reinforce its objections.

Members were reminded that, whilst this was a standalone proposal, it was linked with the two other NSIPs being brought forward by the Five Estuaries and North Falls offshore wind farms. The proposed EACN in Tendring was the connection point for both wind farms to transfer their offshore energy into the National Grid. There was a study currently taking place by the Offshore Coordination Support Scheme looking at the feasibility of both wind farms taking an offshore approach and making landfall at Tilbury. Additionally, the Tarchon interconnector, which would provide a direct power link between Germany and the UK, could also connect with the EACN - although no formal proposals or plans had come forward at this stage.

It was reported that work had been carried out with Essex County Council in preparing TDC’s consultation response, which outlined extensive concerns held by both councils. In this Council’s position as a consultee, the decision to grant or refuse consent for this proposal was not made by the Council. Therefore, in addition to setting out its objections, the response also considered what measures the Council would expect to see to mitigate the impact on the communities of Tendring. This District could experience a disproportionate level of the negative impacts, and the Council therefore expected a stronger focus on mitigation in the District of Tendring including significant and tangible benefits. The transition to renewable energy should be fair, inclusive, and create positive opportunities for all.

This Council’s objections throughout the consultation had included but were not limited to:

•    an appropriate offshore solution needed to be fully considered – this had not yet been achieved;

•    the project was premature in terms of need, working to the required timeframe (2035) not the identified timeframe (2030) would enable alternative routes (offshore and undergrounding) to be considered;

•    the current environmental analysis by National Grid was insufficient, with ecological, heritage and landscape impacts not being fully scoped and information lacking; and

•    the unacceptable negative impacts on the environment, highways and the communities closest to the proposals.

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning (Councillor Baker) commented on the subject matter of this item.

Having duly taken all of the above information into account and having discussed the matter:-

It was moved by Councillor Bray, seconded by Councillor Fairley and unanimously:-

RESOLVED that the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee –

a)     notes the content of this report;

b)     supports the contents of the draft response to the Norwich to Tilbury Statutory Consultation, as attached at Appendix 1 to the Director (Planning)’s report (A.1), subject to references to the location of the proposed EACN being amended to Ardleigh instead of Lawford and the inclusion of a sentence that guides National Grid to the extensive mitigation measures that have been put forward by Ardleigh Parish Council in its consultation response;

c)      agrees that, with the approval of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, the response with the above agreed changes be submitted to National Grid before the close of the Statutory Consultation on 26th July 2024; and

d)     agrees that the approved response, as submitted to National Grid, be reported to Full Council to allow further discussion, if necessary and for the outcome of that discussion to be fed back to National Grid.