PM: 'Strike a balance' installing pylons in county

Rishi Sunak has said National Grid needs to "strike a balance" in deciding where to place electricity pylons in Lincolnshire.

Speaking in the Commons during PMQs, the prime minister responded to concerns raised by Cleethorpes' Conservative MP Martin Vickers.

It follows an outcry over plans to install 420 pylons which would be up to 164ft (50m) high across an 87-mile (140km) stretch from Grimsby to Norfolk.

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) said it could take legal action against the plans, which would cost £1bn.

Mr Vickers, addressing the prime minister, sought reassurance that ministers would “give sympathetic consideration to putting some of the sections underground”.

He said plans to build the pylons through Lincolnshire had caused "much consternation", particularly in rural areas.

Mr Sunak said Mr Vickers was right to raise constituents’ concerns, and added: “He will recognise the balance we need to strike by making sure that we give our country the energy security it needs, but do that in a way that is respectful of the impact upon local communities.”

He promised to ensure ministers “take into account the concerns that he’s raised and that all the views of his local constituents are taken into account”.

Public consultation to install the pylons ended earlier this month, and gave a route corridor for the proposed overhead line.

It would start by the existing Grimsby West substation, then travel west of Laceby, in between Barnoldby le Back and Walton, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The infrastructure is needed to meet growing demand for electricity.

National Grid investment in power lines would be paid upfront with the costs passed onto customers over the following 40 years.

Installing pylons offshore would cost an additional £3.3bn, the energy company said.

National Grid’s project director, Ben Muncey, said the first consultation gathered around 4,500 pieces of feedback from local people.

He said: “We will carefully consider their feedback as we continue to shape our proposals, before holding a further consultation next year.”

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