Labour has been accused of riding roughshod over communities (Image: Getty)
Labour has been accused of showing contempt for communities because of its “dogmatic quest to damage the countryside” with electricity pylons. The UK will need up to 370,000 miles of new power cables and thousands of extra electricity pylons to reach Labour’s clean power by 2030 target.
Dame Priti Patel, whose Witham constituency is affected by the move, said: “Ed Miliband, Keir Starmer and Labour have committed to run roughshod over local communities in their dogmatic quest to damage the countryside. In the East of England, local communities have put forward alternatives to these plans and it is appalling that Labour are ignoring them. Despite National Grid now being at risk of not getting their new pylons completed by their 2030 target, Labour are pressing on regardless showing contempt for the public and local democracy.”
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Communities in parts of England, Wales and Scotland face pylons up to 70m tall being built to transport green energy.
But residents often describe a lack of adequate consultation and poor offering of community benefits, such as new playgrounds or town halls, from energy firms.
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Rosie Pearson, co-founder of the Community Planning Alliance, said the “contempt” being shown to communities up and down the country when it comes to grid infrastructure projects is “disgraceful”.
She added: “We’re faced with sham consultation after sham consultation – here in East Anglia we're on the fourth one for the same project – and everything we say is ignored even though we have cheaper, better and quicker alternatives.
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“Communities have to spend thousands of pounds on professional and legal advice. In Suffolk, an action group is having to raise ￡100,000 to present their case for just one project.
“National Grid, which is owned by foreign shareholders including Blackrock, rampages through our countryside without a whisper from the regulator, Ofgem, and without a hint of scrutiny by the National Energy Systems Operator.
“Every electricity bill payer in the country is a loser in this broken system because Treasury project guidelines are being ignored, such that cheaper and better ways of upgrading the grid are overlooked."
Resident want the Government to consider installing underground cables.
There are 4,500 miles of overhead electricity transmission lines in England and Wales compared to just over 900 miles of underground cables.
James Cartlidge, South Suffolk MP, said: “Alongside my East Anglian MP colleagues, I have been campaigning for many years for alternatives to National Grid’s proposals of swathes of pylons and overhead lines across our beautiful countryside.
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“Throughout the various rounds of ‘consultation’, we have been repeatedly told that it has to be pylons, and there are no suitable offshore or underground alternatives available. This is despite the East Anglia Study, undertaken by ESO (now NESO) and published in March 2024, which uncovered that underground high-voltage direct current cabling is cost comparable to pylons, assuming a 2034 baseline.”
The Government last year said the cost of underground high-voltage direct current cabling “is up to 10 times more expensive and that cost will fall on the bill payer”.
Anti-pylon grassroots campaign groups have come together across the UK to oppose green infrastructure in their communities.
Kate Matthews, co-founder of the Save Our Mearns campaign, opposes Scottish and Southern Electricity Network proposals for a new substation and overhead line from Fetteresso to Brechin in Scotland.
She said: “We will pay for that excess infrastructure via our electricity bills and renewables subsidies. The affected communities will pay for generations, facing loss of enjoyment of our homes and scarring of our countryside and in many cases paying with our livelihoods. It is another body blow to a farming industry already under serious attack with an inheritance tax plan designed to devalue their land leaving farmers vulnerable to developers.
“Every single day, a different UK community wakes up to a new renewables threat on their doorstep – a state-sanctioned tsunami of industrial infrastructure destined for our rural landscapes.”
A spokesman for National Grid said: "Our role is to transport energy from where it's generated to where it's needed, and we share our plans with Ofgem to ensure value for money for bill payers. We consider all technology options - offshore, underground, and overhead lines - and assess what is possible based on a range of factors, including engineering and environmental considerations, alongside a consultation process with feedback from local communities. The Secretary of State for Energy Security & Net Zero makes the final decision, following a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate."
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A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman said: “Every wind turbine we put up, every solar panel we install, every pylon we construct helps protect families from future fossil fuel price shocks. Securing Britain's clean energy future will require improving infrastructure in a cost-effective way to get renewable electricity on the grid. Without this infrastructure, we will never deliver clean power for the British people. Communities have always had a say in the rigorous planning process, and we are bringing forward ways to ensure communities who live near new clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this.”
A National Energy System Operator spokesman said: “To deliver Clean Power by 2030 the national electricity network must undergo a once in a generation expansion to ensure it can power Britain’s future industries. We continue to work closely with all stakeholders, including locally elected representatives and communities as we develop and implement a more holistic approach to the future design of the national electricity network.”