Plans to erect strings of electricity pylons could be the tip of the iceberg for Lincolnshire, say county councillors determined to prevent the county becoming a dumping ground for large infrastructure projects.
That’s their reaction to the newly-published ‘Beyond 2030’ report from the Electricity System Operator which lays out recommendations for how the offshore and onshore network should develop throughout the 2030s.
Lincolnshire County Councillor Colin Davie said: “With an entire page of the report dedicated to Lincolnshire, it’s clear that National Grid’s plans to run 50m pylons all down our east coast could be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to large-scale energy infrastructure projects earmarked for the county.
“Throughout the report it emphasises that upgrading the country’s energy infrastructure needs to be done swiftly. The county council will ensure that this ‘need for speed’ does not come at the expense of proper, in-depth analysis of the impacts big projects will have on our landscape and our communities, and that all options are explored to keep those impacts to an absolute minimum.
“Be it pylons, substations, or new cable connections bringing energy onshore from windfarms out in the North Sea, we will not allow Lincolnshire to be a dumping ground for industrial scale development that harms the intrinsic quality of our county.
“We need to be reassured that the effects any proposals will have on the landscape, the local economy, and the environment have all been thoroughly considered and tested against Treasury Green book principles. In addition there has to be widespread public consultation with evidence that any proposals to be brought forward have been developed with the community voice at the heart of those proposals.”
