Norwich to Tilbury Pylon Proposal

Yesterday at the Suffolk County Council Cabinet Meeting, I had the below to to say in relation to the Norwich to Tilbury Pylon Proposal:

I want to highlight the serious concerns surrounding the Norwich to Tilbury project and its impact on Bramford and the Gipping Valley.

Bramford has become the focal point for energy infrastructure in Suffolk. The substation already hosts multiple grid connections, and now faces yet another expansion. Taken together, these schemes are overwhelming for local residents and the landscape alike. The area is being asked to shoulder far more than its fair share of national infrastructure.

The Gipping Valley remains one of Suffolk’s most sensitive landscapes, a place of beauty and heritage. Yet this proposal would drive a line of 50-metre pylons straight through it, cutting across traditional fields and valley views once recognised for their special character. The council’s own report warns this would cause serious and irreversible harm.

At Bramford itself, the growing cluster of pylons, solar farms and cables is turning the valley into an industrial corridor. We need real investment in mitigation, undergrounding, landscape planting, and rationalisation of existing lines, not more of the same visual and environmental damage.

We all support cleaner energy, but this scheme is premature and poorly thought through. Alternatives such as offshore or fully underground routes must be properly explored before consent is given.

So I ask this: If this does increase the likelyhood of more Solar farms, how much more can Bramford and the Gipping Valley be expected to endure before someone finally says enough is enough and demands a solution that truly respects both people and place?