Kent campaigners call for new route of planned electricity line

Conservationists are calling on National Grid to consider an alternative route for a new electricity line between Kent and Suffolk.

The Sea Link project would lay 90 miles (145km) of undersea cable that comes ashore in Sandwich in Kent and between Thorpeness and Aldeburgh in Suffolk.

Kent Wildlife Trust urged the energy company to "avoid the route which causes the most environmental impact".

National Grid said it was designed with "consideration of the environment".

The proposed cable would carry renewable power from offshore wind, interconnectors and nuclear power to where it is needed.

A sub-station and converter station has also been planned for Minster, near Ramsgate, Kent, and near Saxmundham in Suffolk.

Kent Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign calling on National Grid to "Rethink Sea Link"

The trust's planning and policy officer, Emma Waller, said the route would cause disturbance to wildlife at the National Nature Reserve Pegwell Bay and surrounding nature sites.

"We are hugely disappointed to see that nature is yet again not valued," she said.

"We support steps taken to develop renewable energy solutions, but it must not be at the cost of wildlife."

She called on National Grid to "choose the least damaging route".

National Grid said it recognised the "sensitive habitats" in the area.

"We are undertaking ongoing ecological surveys, alongside consultation with local and national wildlife experts, to ensure we fully understand the environment in the area," a spokesperson said.

"We have explored various alternatives to deliver this necessary infrastructure. As a result, we feel the Sea Link design strikes the right balance between environmental and technical factors."

An eight-week public consultation on the proposals ends on 18 December.

National Grid is expected to submit its proposals to the Planning Inspectorate next year as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.

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