East Anglia in danger from 110 mile pylon project impact

Rose Pearson has hit back at Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget fast-track plans to loosen planning laws. 

Mrs Pearson, who is the founder of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons group, said the scheme shows contempt for communities and the countryside. 

She said: "The environmental impact of this 110-mile long pylons project is not whether you like to look at them or not.

"Huge numbers of trees will be cut down and we will lose wildlife accordingly.

"We are already one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries.

"The Chancellor has inferred that communities are a burden, consultation is a burden, the environment is a burden.

"It appears that it’s simply growth at any cost. That is just so wrong on many levels.”

National Grid wants to build 180km of power lines across East Anglia including digging up parts of the north Essex countryside to bury some of the cables.

But protesters say the infrastructure will have an impact on the environment, farms and countryside of the beautiful, rural counties of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk and have called for cables to go underground along the coast.

The plans to speed up the projects were recently reviewed by top planning King's Counsel Charles Banner.

He said: "It is plain that NG has already resolved to proceed with this project and to discount alternative options - including underground and/or undersea routes."

The pylons group says it will fight any lifting of planning restrictions. 

Mrs Pearson said: "Anything that removes communities from the planning process, reduces environmental protections and shifts the balance of power to the private sector any further is extremely alarming.

"There are very few benefits to be seen of this worrying bonfire of planning and environmental regulations and a huge downside risk for our environments and our communities."

National Grid plans to submit a planning application for the 110-mile pylon route to the Planning Inspectorate in late 2024.