Colchester City Council Preferred Options Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation 2025

This response has been submitted on behalf of National Grid in relation to the Norwich to Tilbury Project (Planning Inspectorate Reference EN020027). We want to offer our observations in relation to the proposed allocation at Land North of A120, Marks Tey Growth Area (Policy PP18).

About National Grid

National Grid Electricity Transmission plc owns, builds and maintains the national high-voltage electricity transmission system throughout England and Wales.

The transmission network connects the power from where it is generated to the regional Distribution Network Operators (DNO) who then supply businesses and homes.

National Grid holds the Transmission Licence for England and Wales, and their statutory duty is to develop and maintain an efficient, co-ordinated and economical system of electricity transmission and to facilitate competition in the generation and supply of electricity, as set out in the Electricity Act 1989.

National Grid is working to build a cleaner, fairer, and more affordable energy system that serves everyone, powering the future of our homes, transport, and industry. The Norwich to Tilbury Project would support the UK’s net zero target through the connection in East Anglia of new low carbon energy generation, and by reinforcing the local transmission network.

The Norwich to Tilbury Project comprises reinforcement of the transmission network between the existing Norwich Main Substation in Norfolk and Tilbury Substation in Essex, via Bramford Substation, the new East Anglia Connection Node (EACN) Substation and the new Tilbury North Substation.

The reinforcement is needed because the existing transmission network, even with current upgrading, will not have sufficient capacity for the new renewable energy (a substantial proportion of which would be generated by offshore wind) that is expected to connect to the network over the next 10 years and beyond. Completion of the Project, together with other new reinforcements across the country, will meet this future energy transmission demand both in East Anglia and across the UK.

The Norwich to Tilbury Project is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), and National Grid is seeking development consent under statutory procedures set by government. NSIPs are projects of certain types, over a certain size, which are considered by the government to be of national importance, hence permission to build them needs to be given at a national level, by the relevant Secretary of State (in this case the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero). Instead of applying to the local authority for planning permission, the developer must apply to the Planning Inspectorate for a Development Consent Order (DCO) that would grant development consent.

On 29 August 2025, National Grid submitted an application for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate. The Examining Authority (consisting of one or more examining inspectors), after a period of public examination, would make their recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who in turn would decide on whether development consent should be granted for the Project. Following submission, the Planning Inspectorate accepted the application for examination on 26 September 2025.

Colchester City Council Preferred Options Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation 2025

In reviewing the Colchester City Council Preferred Options Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation we note that the Norwich to Tilbury Project will interact with Land North of A120, Marks Tey Growth Area. We would offer our observations as follows and would welcome the opportunity to discuss further the interaction between the Norwich to Tilbury Project and the proposed allocation.

Overhead electricity lines can be successfully co-located with development provided that the statutory safety clearances are maintained in accordance with the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002. National Grid has produced its Design Guidelines for development near high voltage overhead lines, which set out these statutory safety clearances and provide detailed guidance for developers on how successful co-location can be achieved in practice.

Accordingly, National Grid does not consider that the Norwich to Tilbury Project would adversely affect the delivery of the proposed site allocations, subject to the future development of those sites having full regard to this guidance. In this context, National Grid recommends that the policies relevant to these allocations explicitly reference the need to comply with both the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 and National Grid’s Design Guidelines for Development Near Pylons and High Voltage Overhead Power Lines, in order to facilitate successful development, should the Norwich to Tilbury Project Development Consent Order be granted.

Policy PP18: Land North of A120, Marks Tey Growth Area

The Colchester City Preferred Options Local Plan identifies the Land North of A120, Marks Tey Growth Area (Policy PP18) as a Garden Village scale allocation for mixed-use development.

In reviewing the proposed Policy PP18, we note that it is recommended that the whole site is masterplanned and the consultation does not include a proposed site layout. The policy description identifies the site has capacity for 1,000 new dwellings but in excess of 10% of the allocation area must be provided as open space.

The Norwich to Tilbury Project crosses the proposed allocations with a 400kV overhead line and two new pylons in the northern section of the Marks Tey Growth Area. The figure below shows the proposed route alongside the proposed allocation.

There should be no reason why the proposed allocation for land north of the A120 cannot be successfully developed alongside the Norwich to Tilbury Project. However, in order to ensure that this is the case and that developers are aware of the matters to consider when developing in proximity to overhead lines, National Grid strongly recommends that the relevant policies refer to both the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 and National Grid’s Design Guidelines for Development Near Pylons and High Voltage Overhead Power Lines which will assist the developers in this regard. In addition to this National Grid is willing to meet with both the LPA and the site developers to discuss the development of the sites to ensure a mutually beneficial outcome.

National Grid is willing to engage with the developer promoting this site and will continue to engage with Colchester City Council to ensure that a route to facilitate the construction and operation of the proposed transmission infrastructure is safeguarded.

As you will be aware, on 16th December 2025, the Government published a consultation seeking views on the revised version of the NPPF. The consultation runs until 10th March 2026 and it is anticipated that an amended version will be published in 2026. Notwithstanding its current draft status, the Colchester City Council should be aware that draft policies W1 (Planning for Energy and Water) W2 (Securing renewable and low carbon energy, and electricity network infrastructure) and W3 (Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Development and Electricity Network Infrastructure) in combination add support to the role and function of NGET insofar as the administering of its responsibilities is concerned, including expansion of the existing electricity network where required.
The Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) also concludes that there is a critical national priority (CNP) for the provision of nationally significant low carbon infrastructure including electricity infrastructure to meet the Clean Power 2030 mission and net zero.

The LPA should be cognisant of what appears to be a positive shift in favour of projects such as Norwich to Tilbury in the emerging NPPF, along with existing guidance within National Policy Statement EN-1, therefore the proposed Local Plan should apply weight to the provision of infrastructure improvement and expansion and ensure that the proposed allocations do not unduly impact upon current and proposed infrastructure projects.