Green MP says communities must be heard over pylons

Adrian Ramsay used his first speech in Parliament to tell the prime minister to listen to local communities

The MP for Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsay, has hit back at the prime minister and told him to work with communities who are worried about plans for new pylons.

Mr Ramsay was speaking after Sir Keir Starmer attacked the Green Party co-leader at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

He told Mr Ramsay to "show some leadership" and support the plans for more than 100 miles of pylons between Norwich and Tilbury, Essex.

National Grid says the pylons are needed to carry power from the offshore windfarms, but opponents of the plans want the cabling to go out to sea around the coast.

Mr Ramsay used his maiden speech in the House of Commons on Friday to respond to the prime minister's attack.

"I've been a climate campaigner for 25 years and making a difference on climate and the environment has guided everything I've done," he said.

"I am the first to argue for scaling up all types of renewable energy, but to do this at the pace required we need to take communities with us."

The MP called for a proper assessment of the different ways in which energy could be connected to the grid, and said the government must be prepared to answer concerns raised by environmental groups and local people.

"The prime minister has said he wants to reset the tone on political debate," said Mr Ramsay.

"So in that spirit, I would ask that we move beyond the comments made in this chamber and the government commits to working with communities."

The latest consultation into the Norwich-Tilbury pylons scheme has just ended

Consultation ends

The new MP was speaking as the latest consultation into the Norwich-Tilbury plans came to an end.

National Grid has made some changes to the original plans, including a proposal to bury some of the power cables underground as they pass through the Waveney Valley.

But councils and people living along the route say the pylons will be an eyesore and are unnecessary.

"We know that there are cheaper and less damaging ways of bringing wind power from the North Sea to where it’s needed," said Rosie Pearson, founder of the action group Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons.

"We need an integrated offshore grid that reduces infrastructure, protects the environment and saves money."

But the industry insists that laying cables around the coast would take longer and be four or five times more expensive.

'The only answer'

Kevin Keable, chairman of the East of England Energy Group, which lobbies for the industry, told Politics East: "It's just not viable to build this offshore grid. Pylons are the only answer from an environmental point of view and a cost point of view."

A final decision on whether to proceed with the pylons plan could come later this year.

The new government, which recently gave the go-ahead for a massive solar farm on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border, said it was keen to speed up planning approvals for projects which will drive the economy.

The exchange between Mr Ramsay and the prime minister this week has led many local politicians to fear privately that the battle over pylons may be lost.

But MPs such as Mr Ramsay say they will keep appealing for the views of local people to be considered.