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Suffolk residents raise concerns about offshore Sea Link cable project

Guy Campbell/BBC Sea Link modelGuy Campbell/BBC
Sea Link's onshore infrastructure would connect power onto the existing network, so it can be transported to homes and businesses across the country

People attending a public consultation about a new electricity link between Suffolk and Kent have expressed fears about its impact on the countryside.

The National Grid is planning a 90-mile (145km) offshore project called Sea Link, which would also include underground connection points on land.

Some visitors were worried about increased construction traffic.

Project manager Seb Stevens said there might be scope to work with other local projects to limit disruption.

Guy Campbell/BBC Seb StevensGuy Campbell/BBC
Seb Stevens said Sea Link would enable the government to reach the UK's objective of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

The National Grid proposals include offshore cabling that comes ashore (landfall) at Pegwell Bay in Kent and at a point between Thorpeness and Aldeburgh in Suffolk.

The plan also includes sub-stations in Friston, Suffolk, and Richborough, Kent, as well as converter stations near Saxmundham, Suffolk and Minster, Kent.

Suffolk County Council had urged communities to share their views during the eight-week consultation process, which has included a public exhibition in Aldeburgh,

David McKenna, from campaign group Suffolk Energy Action Solutions (SEAS), called Sea Link a "destructive project".

"Other alternatives exist. For example, Bradwell-on-Sea [in Essex] is a decommissioned nuclear power station on a relatively uninhabited part of the coast," he said.

"It's a perfectly viable site."

Guy Campbell/BBC Hilly MillsGuy Campbell/BBC
Hilly Mills is concerned about the destruction Sea Link construction will cause to the local landscape

Aldeburgh resident Hilly Mills, 84, believed the increase in lorries used in the construction would have a negative impact on the coast.

"My biggest concern is that lovely Aldeburgh is going to be completely ruined... by these big lorries," she said.

Feedback is being sought before National Grid submits a planning application to the government's Planning Inspectorate.

During the consultation, officials discussed the possibility of using the Aldeburgh landfall site for multiple projects, such as Lion Link, which is another cabling project to connect offshore windfarms between the UK and the Netherlands.

Mr Stevens said: "We are proactively engaging with other developers, including National Grid Ventures, who are promoting their own projects in the area, including Lion Link. The design that we are currently consulting on includes the possibility of accommodating infrastructure for other projects."

The series of public information exhibitions stays in Aldeburgh on Thursday, and moves to Kent next week.

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