More than 127 people attend National Grid consultation in Surfleet
It will be too late when the diggers arrive to discuss plans to build pylons near your home is the message from campaigners who are urging people to get involved with consultation events.
Jenny Pennington was among the 127 people who went along to the National Grid consultation in Surfleet Village Hall on Thursday last week to comment on the proposals for a new 60km line of pylons which will be running through the area.
National Grid has revealed that it looking to transport power from up to two 400kv substations at Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire - which see pylons built through the Surfleet and Pinchbeck going up to Morton and Coby Glen.
This proposal is on top of the 140km overhead line between Grimsby and Walpole in Norfolk as part of the Great Grid upgrade.
The consultation at Surfleet was one of a series of consultation events which have been planned ahead of the deadline on August 6 with another due to take place in Weston Village Hall on Thursday, July 10.
Representing No Pylons Lincolnshire and LAND, Mrs Pennington and her husband Ian have long been fighting against the energy infrastructure plans. The couple were speaking to people as they went into the Station Road village hall.
Mrs Pennington said: “I am here to make sure that everyone is aware of what is going on and make sure they comment ahead of the deadline.
“It’s too late when the diggers arrive. Now is the chance to have a say.”
She has expressed concerns that South Holland could end up looking like Walpole Substation - which is also being extended by a further 3.5 hectares. Police have been escorting a number of large generators to the site from Sutton Bridge, with the next being moved on Sunday, July 6.
She added: “We are going to become an industrial area with massive substations, cables and solar farms.
“Our concern is the loss of agricultural land. With one substation, we are going to lose 35 acres but they’ve not discussed the size yet.
“We have only just harvested a field of rye - and it was the best crop with a fantastic yield and they want to take that amount of land. It is criminal and sacrilege to take Grade I land when we need it for food security.
“In five to ten years, we are going to have an awful industrial area and at the moment it is lovely agricultural area. We need the land for crops”
Surfleet resident Martin Twelftree has expressed concerns about the plans and is calling for the route to go from the Glen to the Green Lane area.
Mr Twelftree, who grew up in the Surfleet area and moved back in 1988, said: “I don’t understand why they are going through here at all.
“I don’t want them to go near our house as it will affect property values. We moved back as it is quite and we don’t want the buzzing from the pylons.”
Andy Chamberlain, who lives in Pinchbeck, also went along to the event.
He said: “I don’t want it but there’s a necessity for it somewhere.”
Project director Ben Muncey said that the Surfleet event had attracted 127 people and also appealed for people to get involved with the consultation.
He said: “There’s been a lot of positive feedback.
“We recognise there’s some impact and we are keen for residents who are concerned to come and speak to us as we are developing the proposals.”
“We try to minimise the impact as we are still at a very early stage. It’s really important people come to speak to us.
“We will review every piece of feedback we have in consultation and that will inform the proposals we will bring forward for the next consultation.”
He also stated that there could be ‘potentially’ one substation at Weston Marsh.
Mr Muncey added: “We have said up to two. We are still working through the detail.”
A report on the feedback will be issued next year during the next consultation, which is due to get underway in 2026.