Witham MP Priti Patel has called on local communities across the East of England to keep fighting plans to impose over 100 miles of pylons and overhead power lines on our countryside. The National Grid have now submitted their formal application through the Development Consent Order (DCO) process, which will lead to an inspector considering the application and producing a report, prior to the Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Miliband, determining the application. Through this process, there will be opportunities for local residents and communities affected to submit their concerns, although the Labour Government has already sought to change the rules to make it easier for these plans to go ahead and ministers have expressed support for them. Around 50 of the 500 pylons planned will go through the Witham constituency. Priti said:
"These outrageous plans to cover our countryside and damage our environment with pylons and overhead power lines have already attracted huge levels of opposition. For years we've opposed them and put forward alternatives, but the Labour Government have ignored our concerns and are doing everything they can to impose them on the East of England in their desperate attempt to hit their ill thought through net zero targets. I will keep on working with local communities to oppose these plans and to challenge the approach being taken by the Labour Government and the National Grid."
