Norwich to Tilbury pylon campaigner Rosie Pearson hits out at Sir Keir Starmer for pushing plans to stop them
The founder of a group against a potential pylons project has accused the Prime Minister of trying to force bad ideas through the system.
This comes after Sir Keir Starmer revealed that he wanted opponents of major infrastructure projects to have fewer chances to “frustrate growth”.
But Rosie Pearson, founder of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group, which is fighting National Grid’s Norwich to Tilbury project, which stands to decimate large areas of Suffolk and Norfolk countryside, argued the PM should instead listen to communities affected to find better alternatives.
She said: “The problem is that Sir Keir misunderstands infrastructure delivery and thinks that he should just try to force bad projects through the system.
“Instead, he should listen to communities like ours in East Anglia, as there are several alternatives which would be more popular and, therefore, quicker to build, facing little resistance.
“He has become rather too accustomed to insulting campaigners, even calling them ‘zealots’ on X [formerly Twitter].
“He should take note that every single one of the projects that he says were delayed by campaigners were in East Anglia.
“We do not want our lovely countryside and beautiful landscapes industrialised and despoiled. His growth agenda does not wash here.”
Opponents currently have three opportunities to secure permission for a judicial review against a major infrastructure project.
They can first write to the High Court, then request an oral hearing and finally ask the Court of Appeal.
But, under plans announced by the PM, the written stage will be scrapped, and cases deemed “totally without merit” will be unable to ask the Court of Appeal to reconsider.
Sir Keir stated he would end a “challenge culture” that saw major projects, such as nuclear power plants, wind farms and roads, delayed by unarguable bids for judicial review.
“For too long, blockers have had the upper hand in legal challenges, using our court processes to frustrate growth,” he said.
“We are putting an end to this challenge culture by taking on the ‘nimbys’and a broken system that has slowed down our progress as a nation.
“This is the Government’s Plan for Change in action – taking the brakes off Britain by reforming the planning system so it is progrowth and proinfrastructure.”
The Prime Minister pledged before the election to be on the side of “builders, not blockers”, as Labour sees improving infrastructure as key to economic growth.
However, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) has confirmed that it will consider submissions from all parties on alternative options, as part of its Central Strategic Network Plan (CSNP).
Among these options is an onshore grid based on HVDC underground cables, which supporters say would be cheaper than the proposed pylon line – citing National Grid’s own East Anglia study, published in March 2024.
NESO committed to assessing other options, in response to a letter from 15 MPs in the eastern region, known as the OffSET (OffShore Electricity Grid Taskforce) group.
The letter requested that details of all transmission options for energy generated offshore, not just pylons, should be published, to ensure full transparency for affected communities.
Earlier this month, National Grid announced it was ditching plans to bury cables through the Waveney Valley, and will instead push ahead with pylons.