Rural communities are set for a “huge boost” after the government confirmed plans for people living near new pylons in Britain to get money off energy bills.
Introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, households that lie within 500 metres of new or upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure are set to benefit from electricity bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years. It further revealed that separate new guidance will also show how developers should ensure communities that play host to transmission infrastructure can benefit. This could include funding projects such as sports clubs, educational programmes, or leisure facilities.
Highlighting the reasons why this new legislation is needed, the government pointed to the fact around twice as much new transmission network infrastructure is set to be needed by 2030 as has been built over the past decade. With it overhauling planning to remove barriers and speed up development, it recognises community benefits are an important avenue through which opposition and planning delays can potentially be reduced. It cited Norwich to Tilbury as being among the projects to face opposition.
James Robottom, RenewableUK’s Head of Policy, commented: “It’s right that local communities should benefit from hosting new and upgraded pylons, so this guarantee that they will have significantly lower electricity bills is a positive step forward. We recognise the need to bring communities with us as we build the clean energy system of the future by ensuring that they have a tangible stake in it.”
