Bramford to Twinstead National Grid upgrade project

We have responded to the public consultation in May on the upgrading of the electricity transmission line between Bramford to Twinstead, to the south of Sudbury. This involves removing the existing smaller 132kV lines and replacing with a larger 400kV line. Most of the stretch will be overground via a line of larger pylons but two small sections are proposed to be underground with 80m X 50m sealing end compounds in the countryside at the ends of each underground section.

The route runs through some of Essex and Suffolk’s most beautiful countryside including the Dedham Vale AONB and the Stour Valley. SPS has responded on how National Grid’s proposals will impact Suffolk.

We called for significantly more of the line to be placed underground to protect the sensitive landscapes in and around the AONB including the Stour Valley project area which shares many of the special landscape qualities of the AONB itself. We also highlighted the damaging impacts that the sealing end compounds – significant infrastructure required at each end of the underground stretches – will have on the landscape around them. These need to be far more carefully sited. In addition we called for greater consideration and assessment of the impact of the new pylon line on the numerous listed farmhouses and other listed buildings along the entire route.

Read our consultation response in full

Details of the project are available on the National Grid website.