With concerns rising regarding the energy grid’s dwindling capacity for handling the increase in carbon neutral electricity, and carrying it to the homes and businesses that need it, National Grid’s proposed Great Grid Upgrade is urgently needed.
The Great Grid Upgrade is set to transform the UK’s energy infrastructure, and will be one of the most significant investments in the nation’s power network in decades. But the upgrade works will bring challenges for landowners and developers across the country.
- The expansion and modernisation of the grid will require increased access to private land for the installation of new apparatus.
- Land use and property values will undoubtedly be affected, and owners will be approached for wayleaves or easements, granting rights for infrastructure to cross their properties.
- Landowners will need to understand their rights and seek professional advice to ensure fair compensation agreements.
- Developers are likely to experience delays due to planning approvals, environmental assessments, and community consultations
BTS is already working on behalf of clients with development sites in Essex (likely to be impacted by National Grid’s Norwich to Tilbury connection) and Derbyshire (situated between the newly proposed 400kV substation at Chesterfield and the existing substation it will connect to at Willington, South Derbyshire).
Whilst National Grid’s proposals have yet to receive consents, the projects are likely to be treated as ‘Nationally Significant’, and it is essential that developers and landowners with schemes that might be affected seek advice now. Early planning will be essential to minimising and mitigating the risks to future development programmes.
If your site is likely to be affected by ‘The Great Grid Upgrade’, contact BTS.
