CONCERNED residents have written to the King asking for his support in their fight against plans to construct towering pylons across prime countryside.
The Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group penned their letter as National Grid push on with their plans to construct 180 kilometres of 50-metre-high pylons across the East Anglian countryside, stretching from Norwich and Tilbury via north Essex.
The letter, written by Ardleigh-based Martin Snook, asks King Charles if he will “support the need for the Government to properly and fairly consider alternatives to the current scheme”.
The chartered engineer said: “We decided to contact King Charles at this point because we believe that, as Head of State, he should be aware of what is going on before it is too late to change course.
“The National Grid pylons proposal is a bad solution that will leave an awful legacy. It will cause untold damage to the environment and to communities.
“It is also unnecessary as an integrated offshore grid could be built instead, which would effectively by-pass the east of England and spare the countryside.
“Our letter is possibly an unusual step to take but the more time passes the greater the risk the project will proceed in its current form by default.”
For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Rosie Pearson, who founded the action group, added: “Everyone knows how committed the King is to environment conservation, so we hope he will be able to help us in some way.
“We are aware he doesn’t intervene in political disputes, but he may be able to help persuade the Government to consider the offshore alternative we as a group have researched and costed.
“Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Italy and Ireland have all committed to offshore grids – and it’s high time we did the same.”
She added: “Our campaign is very active on many fronts, and we are very fortunate in the support we have received from MPs such as Sir Bernard Jenkin and Priti Patel.”
Last month a group of Essex and Suffolk MPs, including Harwich and North Essex MP Sir Bernard Jenkin, met with Energy Minister Andrew Bowie as they continued to lobby the Government against the plans.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel