Homes being devalued by pylons, says council

The value of 4,000 new homes could be damaged if a vast network of pylons is built, a council has warned.

National Grid wants to install the electricity chain through Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, running from Norwich to Tilbury.

Essex County Council said Dunton Hills Garden Village, which is on the proposed route in Brentwood, would be less appealing to buyers if that plan went ahead.

National Grid said it understood the concern and that it was engaging with both the council and the developer at Dunton Hills.

The government's Planning Inspectorate has been preparing to fully examine the scheme.

National Grid says it could power up to six million homes and businesses and will carry electricity powered by offshore wind farms.

Project director Simon Pepper believed it would help to deliver "more affordable electricity" to people as a result.

About 21km (13 miles) of the route would run underground - some through the Dedham Vale National Landscape which straddles the Essex-Suffolk border.

Conservative-led Essex County Council has warned National Grid its project will have widespread consequences for the East of England.

It submitted several objections to the Planning Inspectorate in late-November, but made its concerns about the Dunton Hills development public on Friday.

Brentwood Borough Council has already given permission for the Dunton Hills homes to be built.

"The evidence showed that pylons so close to the development could harm housing and land values," it said.

"The final plans still lack detail on how this will be mitigated."

Little consideration had been given to how roads would be affected during installation works, the council added.

Lee Scott, cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration, said: "While we continue to scrutinise the plans, it's clear many of our concerns remain unresolved.

"We fully support alternative energy, but these plans fail to properly explore all options and their impact."

About 20,000 pieces of community feedback have been sent to National Grid since it started consulting on the project in 2022.

Its application has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate, which is now in the pre-examination stage.

That is expected to last several months and involves contacting interested persons and fixing hearings for the full examination.

Once that is complete, the plan will be assessed by an independent inspector and then passed to the secretary of state, who has the final say.

A spokeswoman for National Grid said: "The Norwich to Tilbury project is vital for delivering more home-grown British energy to meet rising demand in East Anglia and across the country."

She added infrastructure options had been "carefully and transparently" considered.

Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.