Thousands of residents say they will fight to the end to stop a £2 billion network of overhead electricity lines between Grimsby and Walpole.
Pylons will be 50m high, to provide increased access to cheaper, more renewable electricity around the country. Residents along the proposed route say the National Grid’s consultation process is moving too fast.
Nicola Hughes, from No Pylons Lincolnshire – which has nearly 3000 members – says subsea networks “are the only option”.
“We are working with others who have already fought their corner. These people benefitted from two years’ prior knowledge of overhead electricity proposals in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. They used that time to research, concluding with the agreement that subsea options were best,” she says.
Underground solutions would be roughly six times more costly.
The National Grid stated they are working with residents during the consultation process – which is in its first stage – seeking views on preferred corridors and locations for substations.
Amongst those who strongly believe the consultation “has not been transparent” is Karen Sansum of Thorpe St. Peter, near Skegness. Her home will be 100m from the proposed site.
“We’ve ploughed everything we have into our home and land. It has always been our life’s dream to have a small farm for our children and to learn how to be self-sufficient,” Mrs Sansum says.
Surrounding land will be impacted with the site more susceptible to flooding.
The proposal is part of the Great Grid Upgrade, transferring power from offshore wind farms in the UK.
Find the No Pylons Lincolnshire campaign group on Facebook.
