CONTENTIOUS plans to build more than 100 miles of electricity pylons have been put on hold after the National Grid announced the project will be reviewed.

The proposals involve building 180km of overhead cables, which will carry renewable energy from offshore windfarms across swathes of East Anglia

Opposition against the plans has been strong, and the blueprints were labelled “unacceptable and lazy” by Colchester Council leader David King.

Now, the National Grid – the utilities company which has devised the scheme – will pause the project whilst the Electricity System Operator (ESO) considers alternatives under what is known as a transmission review.

The process is likely to take around three months, and one alternative which could be considered involves re-routing the electricity lines offshore.

The route outlined in the current plans starts in Norfolk and runs south easterly past Washbrook, Copdock and East Bergholt.

The route then crosses the border into the Colchester district, running underground past Dedham, Langham and crossing the A12.

A National Grid ESO spokesman said, however, both onshore options were still being considered.

He said: "Alternative transmission reinforcement options will be developed by National Grid electricity transmission, and will include onshore and offshore options that meet required network need."

Further public consultations on the plans have not been delayed, however, prompting Rosie Pearson – who is the founder of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group – to voice her scepticism about the plans.

She said: "It’s a double-edged sword at this point – whilst we obviously welcome the change of heart, we are far from happy that National Grid has not yet postponed its planned second consultation process.

"It is crazy that the company plans to go ahead with the second consultation about pylons when its own division [the ESO] is running the review process.

"The National Grid must delay that second consultation until the review results are known; if not, it would appear that the review is not independent in the slightest, and that the pylons decision has already been made."

The current cost of the project is estimated to be around £793 million in total.