James Wild has become the second West Norfolk MP to publicly share his concerns over plans to build 87 miles of electricity lines across the area.
In a debate in the House of Commons last week, Mr Wild shared his constituents’ opposition to National Grid proposals for pylons stretching from Grimsby to Walpole.
As part of the ‘Great Grid Upgrade’ project, a new substation would also be constructed in the Walpole area.
Last week, South West Norfolk MP Liz Truss lodged a formal objection to the scheme.
And in Parliament, her North West Norfolk counterpart Mr Wild said: “There are major concerns across West Norfolk about the proposals.
“People are rightly opposed to the damaging impact on our communities, countryside and farmland. The plans cannot be the final answer; they must be changed.”
National Grid considered three options – two onshore and one subsea. Reflecting some residents’ concerns, Mr Wild argued that the subsea option must be properly considered rather than discounted.
He said: “As in other areas, the default for National Grid has been to rule out such options without proper consideration, despite the fact that pursuing them would lessen the visual impact, the environmental effect and disruption to communities.
“That needs to be revisited as the process continues.”
He also highlighted the potential disruption to Norfolk’s environment, wildlife, and coastline on the proposed plans, and added: “The proposed area could also affect many protected sites, including The Wash, one of the most important sites in Europe.
“Indeed, the Government have applied for UNESCO world heritage status for the east Atlantic flyway for migratory birds, including through Norfolk and Lincolnshire, which could be threatened by current plans.”
Mr Wild cited concerns relating to visual impact and blight, noise pollution and the environment - and noted that much of the proposed route is Grade I arable land.
In addition to the pylon proposals, National Grid is also consulting on two new offshore electricity projects, Eastern Green Links 3 and 4, which would bring electricity from Scotland to England via subsea cables.
They would then run underground to the proposed converter stations and a new transmission station in Walpole.
The proposals are currently in the first stage of public consultation, with the second stage proposed to start in 2025.
“In contrast to the Grimsby to Walpole plan, the eastern green links are for subsea cables, with landing points on the Lincolnshire coastline,” Mr Wild said in Parliament.
“They would then run underground for 80 miles to the proposed converter stations and a new transmission station in Walpole. If the underground cable is a preferred option for that project, why not for the transmission line scheme?
“What scope is there for the proposed Grimsby to Walpole link to be integrated into that? Again, that needs to be looked at further.”
He also criticised the consultation carried out so far by National Grid.
“Eight weeks is wholly inadequate, given the amount of documentation published and the length of time that National Grid has been working on this,” the MP said.
“To be polite, there has been a lack of a co-ordinated approach, but the two schemes could work better together, so we need a much more transparent process.”
A consultation event on the Eastern Green Link proposals will take place on May 20 from 2-7pm at Walpole Community Centre.
National Grid unveiled its early-stage proposals for the 87 miles of electricity lines at the start of this year, describing it as a key infrastructure project in the UK’s transition to a decarbonised energy system.
At the time, project director Ben Muncey said: “This reinforcement between Grimsby and Walpole is essential in the UK’s journey to net zero by 2050 and is part of a wider programme to upgrade the entire network.”
Grimsby to Walpole would be able to transport six gigawatts of power and connect proposed new sources of electricity that are planned to come onshore on the east coast.