Frequently asked questions
Here you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Pelham to Rayleigh Overhead Line Reinforcement. We hope they answer your questions. We will continue to update them as our work progresses.
National Grid sits at the heart of Britain’s energy system, connecting millions of people and businesses to the energy they use every day.
We are working to build a cleaner, fairer, and more affordable energy system that serves everyone – powering the future of our homes, transport, and industry. We believe by acting now, the UK can become the world’s first major clean economy, creating growth and jobs for communities across Britain.
National Grid is a group of companies and one of those companies, National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), owns, builds and maintains the network in England and Wales. It is NGET that is carrying out the overhead line reinforcement for Pelham to Rayleigh.
Within the National Grid Group, there are other distinctly separate legal entities, each with their individual responsibilities and roles. More information about National Grid can be found on the About us section of National Grid’s website.
The Pelham to Rayleigh project is supporting The Great Grid Upgrade - the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations. It comprises major infrastructure projects that will both scale up the grid and update our existing networks. It will enable us to carry more home-grown renewable energy from where it is generated to where it is needed, boosting Britain’s energy security. The Great Grid Upgrade will provide homes and businesses with secure, cleaner, home-grown British energy from more affordable sources.
- Energy security
The Great Grid Upgrade will connect cleaner energy that is produced right here in the UK, increasing Britain’s energy security and making us less reliant on imported electricity.
- A grid that’s fit for the future
Electricity demand is set to significantly increase as the way we power our homes, businesses, industry and transport changes. We need a grid that can carry an increased amount of electricity to wherever it is needed.
- Investment closer to home
Delivering the infrastructure needed to achieve this ambition will boost local economies, provide jobs and opportunities to learn new skills and bring vital investment across the country.
- Cleaner energy for all
The way electricity is generated is changing, with more home-grown renewable energy being generated in Britain. The Great Grid Upgrade will enable the electricity grid to carry more cleaner energy to communities in every part of England and Wales.
Find out more about The Great Grid Upgrade.
National Grid is planning to upgrade around 100 km of existing high voltage overhead electricity transmission lines between Pelham and Rayleigh. https://www.nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgradeThe works are scheduled to start in Summer 2027, with all construction activities to be completed by the end of 2028. The works will not be carried out across the entire route all at once but will take place in multiple areas along the route at different times.
Our Electricity Transmission pylons are the structural supports which carry the UK’s network of high-voltage overhead power lines.
No. The project involves upgrading existing pylons, and so no new pylons will be constructed.
National Grid has a statutory obligation under the Electricity Act 1989 to develop and maintain an efficient, coordinated and economical system of electricity transmission.
Like much of the high voltage electricity transmission network across the country, the network in the East of England was largely built in the 1960s.
With new offshore wind and nuclear generation, plus greater interconnection with countries across the North Sea being proposed, there will be a huge increase in the amount of renewable and low carbon electricity generation connecting in the East of England and Midlands in the years ahead. While the existing high voltage electricity network in the East and Midlands area has been sufficient until today, it doesn’t have the capability needed to reliably transport all the new energy that will be connected by 2030, which is why we need to reinforce the network between Pelham and Rayleigh. By upgrading existing infrastructure, we’re enhancing the capacity of the electricity network without having to build entirely new infrastructure, minimising the volume of disruption to communities and landscapes, making better use of what we already have, rather than expanding our footprint.
Without upgrades, the network won’t have the capacity that’s needed to move electricity across the network from where it’s produced to where it’s needed.
This work is crucial to delivering the wider Bramford to Twinstead Reinforcement project supporting The Great Grid Upgrade.
Whilst timings are subject to factors outside our control, such as network outages and other operational constraints, construction is currently scheduled to begin in summer 2027 and be completed by the end of 2028. Work will be phased across different areas rather than taking place along the entire route at once.
This project will be delivered using National Grid's Permitted Development rights under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, allowing us to undertake certain works without needing to submit planning applications.
Permitted Development rights allow works to upgrade, refurbish or replace existing overhead lines, together with temporary, ancillary works required to deliver those upgrades, subject to defined criteria and limitations as a statutory undertaker.
This provides a streamlined consenting route with appropriate controls in place. National Grid will comply with environmental legislation, consult with local authorities and statutory bodies as required, carry out relevant environmental assessments, and carefully manage the siting and use of construction accesses and temporary compounds. Where any works fall outside of the rights permitted development rights afforded to National Grid, or where required under other legislation, the appropriate consents will be sought.
Compulsory powers, also known as Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) are a legal mechanism which allows some organisations to access land or property without the consent of the owner in order to access its assets, such as overhead power lines or pylons.
National Grid always seeks to acquire access to land voluntarily in the first instance, however sometimes this is not possible. If you believe your property interests may be affected by the project, please contact Savills, our appointed land agents, to discuss the matter further.
If you are a landowner and want to talk to our lands team, please call 0800 5677 200 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you can write to Savills at FREEPOST Pelham to Rayleigh Land.
We have contacted the owners and occupiers of properties which are located on land necessary for the overhead line refurbishment, to discuss the required rights to deliver the project.
We will continue to engage with affected owners and occupiers to seek the rights that we require via voluntary agreement where possible.
CPOs can be issued by the following acquiring authorities: local government, regional development authorities, utility companies such as National Grid, government agencies and transport companies.
When the authority has a scheme that requires it to acquire access to other people's land, it can resolve to make a CPO.
When it has enough information, the acquiring authority will prepare the CPO, and usually an accompanying statement of reasons, in accordance with section 2 of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981.
In all cases the owners and occupiers of the properties to be acquired or affected by the scheme will be served notices. All schemes provide compensation to owners and occupiers directly affected by the scheme.
A wayleave agreement is defined as a terminable licence for which annual rent and compensation is payable to you. It gives us the right to install electrical lines and keep them installed on, under or over land for the purpose of inspecting, maintaining, adjusting, repairing, altering, replacing or removing the electric lines.
A Deed of Grant of Easement is a formal legal agreement that gives National Grid the right to install and keep infrastructure, such as an electricity line, on, under, or over private land.
In most cases, an easement is granted permanently (meaning it remains in place indefinitely), although in some circumstances it may be agreed for a fixed period of time. The easement also allows access to the land, where necessary, so that the electricity line can be safely inspected, maintained, repaired, replaced, or removed.
An easement is agreed in return for a one-off payment to the landowner and is registered against the property’s title deeds. This means the agreement remains in place even if the land is sold in the future. Unlike a wayleave agreement, an easement must be completed by a solicitor and provides long-term certainty for both the landowner and the operator.
We consider it essential to secure the necessary land rights on a permanent basis, typically through easements, rather than temporary arrangements such as wayleaves, to ensure the long-term operation, maintenance and resilience of the infrastructure. Our strong preference is always to achieve this through negotiation with landowners wherever possible. However, to ensure that all required rights can be secured within the programme timeframes and to avoid delays to a project that is in the public interest, an application for Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers has been made in parallel. This approach provides certainty of delivery while negotiations continue. It is important to note that this does not involve the acquisition of land itself, but rather the securing of rights to access and use land to construct, operate and maintain the network, with this process being managed on behalf of National Grid by Savills.
Further detail on the compulsory purchase process can be found in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Guidance on Compulsory Purchase Process and The Crichel Down Rules which are available to view and download for free online.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has also produced booklets and guidance on how the compulsory purchase process works entitled "Compulsory Purchase and Compensation" listed below:
- Booklet No. 1 - Compulsory Purchase Procedure;
- Booklet No. 2 - Compensation to Business Owners and Occupiers;
- Booklet No. 3 - Compensation to Agricultural Owners and Occupiers;
- Booklet No. 4 - Compensation for Residential Owners and Occupiers;
- Booklet No. 5 - Reducing the Adverse Effects of Public Development: Mitigation Works.
The booklets are available to view and download for free online here.
Our CPO will be advertised and available to view in public locations for at least three weeks to allow time for those affected to review the documents and make objections to The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, should they wish.
If the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero receives objections to our CPO, then the Department will make written representations to National Grid Electricity Transmission or will arrange for a public inquiry. The Department will be in touch with those who have made an objection, if they require any further information.
After either the public inquiry or the written representations, the Department will approve (with or without modifications) or reject the CPO. This will be confirmed in writing.
If The Department approves our CPO, we will contact all landowners and occupiers of properties which are located above the route of the cable, to inform them of the decision. We will also publicise the decision. We will then contact all affected properties again regarding our acquisition of the rights for the project.
A copy of the order and of the accompanying map can be found at the following venues during opening hours:
- Braintree Library (5 Fairfield Rd, Braintree, CM7 3YL);
- Chelmsford Library (Chelmsford County Hall, Market Rd, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH);
- Bishop’s Stortford Library (The Causeway, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2EJ);
- Wickford Library (Market Rd, Wickford SS12 0RA).
A copy of the order and of the accompanying map may also be viewed online on this website under the document library.
Any objection/s to the order must be made in writing to John McKenna, Head of Electricity Network Planning Team, Energy Infrastructure Delivery, Energy Development, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, 3-8 Whitehall Place, London. SW1A 2EG or to [email protected] before 19 June 2026 and should state the title of the order, the grounds of objection and the objector's address and interests in this land.
As part of our engagement to date, we have identified landowners who we believe may be affected by the project based on Land Registry data, and we’ve appointed Savills, a land referencing firm, to verify this publicly available information. This ensures the data is up-to-date and confirms the current occupation of the land.
Savills has sent all parties with land interests in and around the area of the Pelham to Rayleigh overhead line route through Land Interest Questionnaires (LIQs) and accompanying land plans.
These forms request landowners and other interested parties clarify contact information, confirm ownership, identify occupiers, tenants, and any other parties with an interest in the land, such as rights of way or option agreements. The LIQs also aim to ensure that land ownership boundaries and occupation are accurately identified. Recipients can amend the LIQ land plan if they find any discrepancies. If you receive an LIQ, please do complete and return it, or get in touch if you have any questions.
If you are a landowner and want to talk to our lands team, please call 0800 5677 200 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you can write to Savills at FREEPOST Pelham to Rayleigh Land.
Subject to securing all the necessary permissions to deliver the project, we expect that it may be necessary to temporarily close some public rights of way while maintenance works are carried out. Any temporary closures will be clearly signposted, and advance notice will be provided wherever possible. No public rights of way will be permanently closed as part of the project.
There may also be road closures or traffic management on roads around the construction sites. We will clearly communicate these in advance through our website.
We are committed to working with local communities and we have a dedicated Community Relations Team in place to keep you informed about our works, answer any questions you may have and share news about how we are investing in your community.
We will do all that we can to ensure that local people are kept informed and made aware of the construction activity and know how to get in touch if they have any questions.
We use a number of channels to keep in touch with local people and interested parties, including:
- project updates by letter, leaflet or e-newsletter;
- a dedicated community relations phone number, email address and Freepost address;
- project website for construction updates.
If you have any questions or comments about the project, you can contact us by:
- Email: [email protected];
- Freephone: 0808 304 0657 Monday to Friday 9am-5:30pm (An answering service is in place outside of these times).
If you are a landowner and want to talk to our lands team, please call 0800 5677 200 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you can write to Savills at FREEPOST Pelham to Rayleigh Land.
If you are a journalist and would like to speak with a member of the National Grid media team, please call 01926 656 536 or email [email protected].
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about the project, you can contact us by:
- Email: [email protected]
- Freephone: 0808 304 0657
If you think our proposals could affect your land, please contact the Pelham to Rayleigh Land Referencing Team at Savills. You can call 0800 5677 200 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, you can write to Savills at FREEPOST Pelham to Rayleigh Land.