Latest Braintree DC News – Local Plan and Pylons

Thank you for taking part in latest Local Plan survey

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their views with us as part of our recent Local Plan survey.

This was to get your thoughts on whether the vision, objectives and policies in our current Local Plan continue to be appropriate and if not, suggest changes you feel will help ensure we meet the district’s needs.

We received more than 400 comments and we’re now in the process of going through each one, using this insight to help inform the final draft Local Plan document, which we will consult on later this year. This will also include the proposed sites where new homes, jobs and other facilities could be located. Keep an eye out on our channels and this newsletter for when it goes live.

Our Local Plan Sub-Committee (a committee made up of councillors who represent Braintree District Council) will start discussions around development allocations in the summer.

Latest updates on Norwich to Tilbury pylons plans

You may be aware of plans by National Grid to install pylons between the existing substations in Norwich and Tilbury in Essex, to upgrade the electricity transmission system and connect new offshore wind generation.

The proposals are through and near to the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and in part in the Braintree district, where it crosses an existing 400kV overhead line.

You can read more about our position on these plans here.

They are currently consulting on proposed changes in Essex and Thurrock which are running until 11:59pm on Thursday 27 March.

You can provide your feedback by filling in their online questionnaire or emailing contact@n-t.nationalgrid.com.

Webinar

They’re holding a webinar on changes in Essex and Thurrock via Microsoft Teams to give people an opportunity to ask the project team questions.

You can sign up for a webinar taking place next week below:

• Essex – 17 March 2025 18:00

New Planning and Infrastructure bill announced

This week the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced to Parliament. The bill, introduced by central government, sets out further reforms to the planning system, which impacts local authorities like us.

The bill is aimed to speed up and streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure and includes measures such as localising planning fees and increasing planning capacity to support with this.

One key takeaway is people living within 500 metres of new electricity transmission infrastructure will receive up to £2,500 over ten years off their energy bills. This includes the transmission lines between Norwich to Tilbury.