Property and landowners likely to be affected by the East Anglia GREEN pylon project, being proposed by National Grid Electricity Transmission (National Grid), can access expert advice from solicitors specialising in public infrastructure projects, Planning Law and related development consent order, compulsory purchase and blight claim matters.
Michael Harman, Partner at Holmes & Hills Solicitors, specialises in advising property and landowners affected by large scale public infrastructure projects. Michael is currently receiving large numbers of enquiries from individuals and organisations that are, or will be, affected by National Grid’s East Anglia GREEN new pylon project.
Large scale public infrastructure projects create legal issues spanning planning, land, property, compulsory purchase and blight. Several of these areas of law namely planning, compulsory purchase and blight, are specialist fields of legal practice.
At this non-statutory (informal) consultation stage of the project, interested parties (including those who stand to be directly affected by the East Anglia GREEN pylon project) may require representation as to:
Whilst the documentation published by East Anglia GREEN to date is comprehensive, it does not provide affected parties with bespoke advice, i.e. about their options should their property, land or business be blighted or become the subject of a Development Consent or Compulsory Purchase Order should the project progress further.
Individuals whose property is within, or close to, the preferred corridor as published, are recommended to make representations to National Grid through a legal professional experienced in public infrastructure and Planning Law matters.
Representations that can be made by a Planning Law specialist may include those aimed at:
Holmes & Hills Solicitors has already been contacted by potentially affected parties and is providing advice and guidance to:
To allow for as many affected owners and Parish Councils as possible to access expert advice and representation, Holmes & Hills solicitors is offering individuals, property owners, Parish Councils and businesses impacted by the proposed East Anglia GREEN pylon project the ability to have a specialist solicitor make legal representation on their behalf for a fixed legal fee.
This fixed-fee will include drafting, compiling and submitting an informed representation underpinned by legal expertise in the field of Planning Law, as well as matters concerning blight to property, land and businesses. This fixed-fee will also provide for your receiving guidance on the project’s potential future stages, including guidance on your future options should a pylon be proposed on your land, or cables be proposed over your land (or under your land), at the next stage of the project.
Call 01206 593933 and ask to speak to the Planning Team, or complete the form below.
Michael Harman is a partner at East Anglia regional law firm, Holmes & Hills, and is independently recognised as a specialist blight and compulsory purchase order solicitor. Michael has a wealth of experience advising property and landowners in respect of other large public infrastructure schemes. Michael is also a member of the national Compulsory Purchase Association.
Such is Michael’s expertise and reputation in the field of Planning Law that Michael has, for a number of years, by invitation of the Editors, contributed to Sweet & Maxwell’s publication “Planning Law Practice and Precedents”.
As a firm with specialist blight and compulsory purchase solicitors, Holmes & Hills has advised on a wide range of public infrastructure projects, including, by way of example:
Yes, even if you have already submitted correspondence to National Grid, you are still able to contact Holmes & Hills Solicitors and have our specialist, Michael Harman, make a representation on your behalf based on his Planning Law experience and specialist expertise in blight claims and compulsory purchase matters.
Your having already made a submission to National Grid will not negatively impact the strength or weight of a representation made by Holmes & Hills on your behalf.
Owners of property or land within National Grid’s preferred corridor, as well as other members of the public, can make representations relating to the proposed project without the involvement of a solicitor. However, a solicitor who is both experienced and specialist in matters concerning public infrastructure, compulsory purchase, blight claims and Planning Law, is able to submit representations presenting arguments that are underpinned by legal expertise that pulls on a highly specialised area of law, giving these arguments greater weight.
With the next stage of the project seeing National Grid publish their proposed exact location of pylons and route of overhead and underground cables, a property, land or business owner without specialist representation at this current stage may be at a disadvantage compared to surrounding land or property owners who may have sought such representation.
If you are a Parish Councillor and your Parish is impacted by National Grid’s preferred corridor, Holmes & Hills can advise and act for the parish council in making representations against the corridor passing through your Parish.
Making such a professional representation would add further weight to the representations being made by professionals on behalf of individual property, land and business owners in your Parish, or those representations being made by neighbouring Parishes, particularly if those representations were also being made via legal professionals specialising in public infrastructure, property and planning matters.
National Grid is stating that it is necessary for it to expand the capability and capacity of the high voltage electricity network (pylon and cable) network in the East of England (specifically between Norwich, Bramford and Tilbury) to support the reliable and secure transport of an increased volume of electricity from offshore wind farms currently in construction and planned for development in future off the east coast of England.
This project, named East Anglia GREEN, is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), requiring National Grid to obtain a development consent order from the Secretary of State pursuant to the Planning Act 2008.
National Grid launched an initial, non-statutory (informal) public consultation on 21st April 2022 and this will continue through to 16th June 2022. National Grid will consider responses to the consultation and incorporate feedback into their plans which they will develop into a proposed/preferred route for overhead and cables, as well as pylon and substation locations. This plan will then enter into a formal, statutory consultation phase, providing stakeholders an opportunity to make representations on the plans proposed by National Grid. National Grid currently plan for the statutory consultation period to commence in April- 2023.
National Grid states it will then incorporate feedback from their statutory consultation into their plan and submit an application for a Development Consent Order based on National Grid’s final plans in December 2024. National Grid currently states that it plans to start construction on the new high voltage electricity network in 2027.
Call 01206 593933 and ask to speak to the Planning Team.
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