"Distraught" residents along the proposed route of a new series of electricity pylons have told of their fears over how the plans will impact their lives.
Almost 70 people from Roydon and the surrounding areas packed into the village hall on Wednesday to discuss their concerns over plans for an overhead powerline running from Dunston, near Norwich, to Tilbury in Essex.
National Grid is currently consulting on the Green Energy Enablement (GREEN) project, with energy bosses saying it is needed to cope with the amount of energy generated by wind power in the future.
Concerns at the meeting ranged from damage to the environment, businesses and homes, as well as the impact on a girl with special needs.
William Cole, from Park Farm Winfarthing said: “Our homes and lives will be destroyed by these pylons – it's not just a business, the farm is our home as well.
“It will go right through the length of the farm, during construction it will disrupt our business but it's also the environment I’m concerned about.
“We have lots of wildlife in the area that will all be affected including [ancient] hedges and oak trees that we have protected.
“It shouldn’t be going across here. Electricity doesn’t become green when runs across the environment like this.”
Mr Cole and his family were told they would "get used" to the pylons, something they rejected.
“To say we will get used to it is not a good argument," said Ellie Cole-Broatch, Mr Cole’s daughter.
“I’ve got a five and a three-year-old and they will never know the farm without pylons on it which I think is horrible.
“I think there’s a massive misconception that farmers are in favour of it but really they aren't.”
Roger Dunn and Sharon Smith bought their small piece of land on Common Road, near Diss, to become hobby farmers.
They hoped for it to become an "heirloom," passed down through the generations.
“These plans will ruin this picturesque area, we look out on it when we eat our tea and it is gorgeous," the pair said.
“It makes us feel distraught, we understand the need for green energy but there’s got to be a better way of doing it."
Mr Dunn argued the cable should run under the sea instead.
Alan and Linda Crafter said their daughter has autism and is medically diagnosed as hypersensitive to sound and light and can be affected by quartz clocks ticking.
Mr Crafter said: “These pylons will give off a hum from the high voltage cables which is inaudible to some people but she would almost certainly be able to hear it.
“We are going to be so close to it, we’re worried about her quality of life. Our home is her safe place, we moved here to get away from a lot of noise.”
South Norfolk Councillors Graham Minshull and Keith Kiddie also stated their objections to the plans.
Mr Kiddie said he was “implacably opposed” to the development and criticised National Grid (NG) for seeming to have decided what the route should be before the consultation had even started.
However, not all the residents were entirely against the plans, one from Freezen Hill said that alternative options like burying the cables would cost more money which could force up energy prices, hitting low earners already under strain from the cost of living crisis.
Another concern raised by residents focused on the brochure for the plans, it features open countryside without any pylons on the front, which people argued was unrepresentative of the plans.
An NG spokeswoman said the plan would help meet government ambitions on offshore wind energy, which needs to be done safely and securely.
"We are governed by a number of licences and regulatory obligations and we’ve been carrying out assessments and studies to find the most appropriate way to achieve this in East Anglia, and in other parts of the country. We feel these proposals best meet our obligations."
She said NG wants to work closely with communities and encourage people to take part in consultations, which will help develop plans in more detail.
Information about the project, including the opportunity to have your say on it, can be found by visiting: https://www.nationalgrid.com/electricity-transmission/network-and-infrastructure/infrastructure-projects/about-east-anglia-green
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