Three more power line proposals which critics say would blight miles of the Norfolk countryside have come under fire from MPs.
Former prime minister Liz Truss and her Conservative neighbour James Wild have criticised National Grid's proposals for new high-voltage electricity lines from Lincolnshire to Norfolk.
Ms Truss, South West Norfolk MP, who has submitted a formal objection, said farmland would be put at risk by the new power lines and blamed her government's "hastily agreed Net Zero policies".
Those were policies which were legislated when she was chief secretary to the Treasury, although, during her ill-fated stint at Downing Street, Ms Truss said she wanted to review them.
She said: "All this infrastructure would not only be a physical blight on the beautiful local landscape, but it would put at risk high-quality farmland, impacting the livelihoods of Norfolk farmers.
"This would all have a major detrimental impact on West Walton, its residents and the surrounding area.
"The entire so-called ‘Great Grid Upgrade’ is being undertaken as a result of misguided and hastily agreed Net Zero policies which do not deliver value for taxpayers’ money.
"The government should be revisiting its Net Zero policies rather than pressing ahead with ill-conceived schemes such as this."
WHAT ARE THE PROPOSALS?
National Grid has three proposals which would affect Norfolk.
The Grimsby to Walpole network, which would transport six gigawatts of power, would bring offshore power to land.
With pylons up to 50-metres-high, the network would stretch from the Lincolnshire town to the west Norfolk parish of Walpole, which includes the villages of Walpole St Peter, Walpole St Andrew and Walpole Marsh.
But National Grid is also consulting on two other power lines - Eastern Green Link 3 and 4, which would bring wind-generated power from Scotland to England.
That would be mainly under the sea, but would travel underground through Lincolnshire to Norfolk.
The schemes would see new substations and converter stations built, including at West Walton and Walpole.
'MAJOR CONCERNS' OVER IMPACT ON FARMLAND
North West Norfolk MP James Wild, who raised the issue in Parliament, said: "There are major concerns across west Norfolk about the proposals.
"People are rightly opposed to the damaging impact on our communities, countryside and farmland. The plans cannot be the final answer. They must be changed."
Mr Wild also questioned why a decision had been made for the Grimsby to Walpole plan to involve pylons, while the eastern green link proposals were a combination of offshore and underground.
He said: "The default for National Grid has been to rule out such options without proper consideration, despite the fact that pursuing them would lessen the visual impact, the environmental effect and disruption to communities. That needs to be revisited as the process continues."
WHAT NATIONAL GRID SAYS
A spokesperson for National Grid said: "It is National Grid’s responsibility to connect new generation into the national transmission system and get it to where it is needed, safely and securely and in a way that is economic and efficient.
"The government’s National Policy Statement, which covers developing new electricity networks infrastructure, states that the starting presumption for new electricity transmission projects should be overhead lines.
"We have assessed offshore and underground options for Grimsby to Walpole but at approximately four times more expensive for offshore and up to approximately six times more expensive for underground cables, and not without environmental impact, this would be at significant extra cost to consumers, and would not align with the requirements placed on us."
It comes at a time when campaigners in south Norfolk have criticised separate proposals for pylons stretching from near Norwich to Tilbury in Essex.
Critics have also called for the cables to run to Tilbury offshore, rather than with pylons over the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside, but National Grid said that would be too expensive.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Consultation over the Eastern Green Link proposals runs until June 17 at www.nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgrade/eastern-green-link-3-and-4/have-your-say.
People can have their say over the Norwich to Tilbury project until Tuesday, June 18 at nationalgrid.com/norwich-to-tilbury
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