Lincolnshire Against Needless Destruction (LAND) has responded cautiously to plans for a new publicly owned Great British Grid, warning that accelerating electricity infrastructure without addressing weaknesses in strategic planning risks simply delivering a fragmented system faster.
The government is expected to announce that Great British Grid will invest directly in electricity network infrastructure, help speed up connections and support the expansion of renewable energy.
LAND supports investment that genuinely reduces energy costs, strengthens Britain’s electricity system and enables homes and businesses to benefit from clean energy.
But communities already facing unprecedented levels of new electricity infrastructure need reassurance that speed will not become a substitute for good planning.
Lincolnshire is currently facing major new transmission lines, substations, offshore electricity connections, large solar developments and associated infrastructure. Decisions being made now could shape the county for generations.
LAND spokesman Cat Makinson said: “There is an opportunity here to do something genuinely better. Public investment in our electricity networks could allow Britain to move away from a piecemeal, developer-led approach and towards a properly coordinated national system.
“But simply creating another organisation capable of building infrastructure faster does not solve the fundamental problem. Before we accelerate delivery, we need to be confident that we are building the right infrastructure, in the right places and at the right scale.
“The answer to a fragmented electricity system cannot simply be to build the fragmentation faster.”
LAND says the creation of Great British Grid should be accompanied by clear requirements for strategic spatial planning, transparent demonstration of need, assessment of cumulative impacts and proper consideration of alternatives before major infrastructure is approved.
The group also wants Government to explain how Great British Grid will interact with the forthcoming Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, NESO, National Grid and regional distribution networks.
Cat continued: “If Great British Grid gives government the ability to coordinate generation, transmission, distribution, storage and industrial demand as one system, that could be extremely valuable.
“But that opportunity will be lost if its overriding instruction is simply to connect projects as quickly and cheaply as possible.
“Public ownership should bring public accountability. Communities need to be able to see why infrastructure is needed, why a particular route or location has been chosen, what alternatives were considered, what the complete cost will be and who ultimately pays for it.”
LAND also says communities hosting nationally important electricity infrastructure should see tangible, lasting local value from that investment.
“Lincolnshire is being asked to host an extraordinary amount of nationally significant energy infrastructure. Yet many of our communities, farms and businesses still depend upon a distribution network that was never designed for the electricity demands of the future.
“If billions of pounds are going to be invested in the grid, host communities should not simply watch electricity pass through their landscape.
“Investment should also strengthen local distribution networks, support businesses, enable locally generated electricity and leave communities with lasting infrastructure and economic opportunities.”
LAND says transparency over whole-system costs will be particularly important if Great British Grid is intended to contribute to lower energy bills.
“Consumers need to know what the complete electricity system costs, generation, transmission, distribution, balancing and reinforcement and who is paying for it.
“We should judge infrastructure investment not simply by how quickly it can be built, but by whether it produces an affordable, resilient and properly planned electricity system.”
LAND is calling for clear answers to five questions as the Great British Grid proposal develops:
- What strategic plan will determine what Great British Grid builds and where?
- How will cumulative community, landscape and agricultural impacts be considered before investment decisions are made?
- Will alternatives, including distribution upgrades, rooftop and local generation, storage and infrastructure sharing be assessed before new transmission infrastructure is commissioned?
- How will investment in nationally important infrastructure also deliver lasting local value for the communities hosting it, including improvements to their own electricity networks?
- How will government demonstrate that investment reduces the whole-system cost ultimately borne by consumers? The announcement comes while National Grid is consulting on its proposed Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire (WMEL) electricity transmission project, another major new infrastructure proposal affecting Lincolnshire and neighbouring communities.
LAND is encouraging residents to engage with the ongoing WMEL consultation and examine what the proposals could mean for their communities.
Cat said: “WMEL demonstrates why these questions cannot wait for some point in the future. Major infrastructure decisions are being developed now, while the wider strategic energy system is itself still evolving.
“LAND will continue to scrutinise proposals such as WMEL, question the evidence behind them and hold government, network companies and developers to account.
“Our role is not simply to oppose change. It is to push for the best possible outcomes for Lincolnshire and its communities, challenging unnecessary or poorly planned development, pressing for better alternatives where they exist, and ensuring that if nationally important infrastructure does go ahead, the communities carrying its impacts are not forgotten.
“Britain does need an electricity network fit for the future. That makes getting these decisions right more important, not less.
“Great British Grid could be an opportunity to replace piecemeal infrastructure development with genuine strategic planning. government should seize that opportunity before another generation of projects becomes locked in.”
Lincolnshire Against Needless Destruction (LAND)
