Walpole area updates
There are multiple National Grid Electricity Transmission proposals being brought forward in the Walpole area. These include:
- Eastern Green Link 3 (EGL 3) and Eastern Green Link 4 (EGL 4)
- Grimsby to Walpole
- Walpole Substation Expansion
We are working closely across our project teams to deliver a coordinated approach in the Walpole area. By working together, we are committed to minimising potential impacts on local communities and the environment.
Stay up to date
Join our Walpole WhatsApp Channel to receive the latest local updates.
You can find more information about project coordination, survey works, and traffic management in the Walpole area on our FAQs page.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Information for landowners
When developing proposals for network upgrades, we need to understand who has a legal interest in the land in and around the areas being considered as part of the projects.
In the DCO process, anyone with a legal interest in land is known as a Person with an Interest in Land (PIL). If you are identified as a PIL, we will contact you directly.
Whilst much of the information we need to confirm a legal interest on is available on public registers, we have appointed land suppliers Ardent to contact individual landowners to verify the publicly available information and ensure NGET has have made best efforts to identify any potentially impacted landowners. Ardent operates across multiple sectors, providing land and consenting advice to support the promotion and delivery of major projects in the UK and Ireland.
More information regarding National Grid’s land rights and payment schedules, can be found here.
Ardent will also assist with contacting landowners and occupiers to arrange access for non-intrusive and intrusive surveys which we plan to carry out whilst we develop the proposals and prepare the application for a development consent order.
More detailed information for landowners, along with relevant contact information can be found on the landowner page of our project website.
If you are a landowner and believe your property may be affected by our proposals, and want to talk to our lands team, please email [email protected] or call 0203 302 0545 or write to: EGL 3 and EGL 4, Ardent, 36 Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5JL.
Surveys
To understand more about the local environment, and to inform the environmental impact assessment, we need to carry out surveys. These will be on land within the corridor, on some adjoining land, and areas that may be identified through consultation feedback as potentially sensitive.
These surveys are to assess the landscape, ecology and cultural heritage aspects of the area, to inform further detailed environmental assessments. All survey information gathered has been published either as part of our Preliminary environmental information report or will support our application for a development consent order.
Ongoing surveys
Below is a list of our ongoing and upcoming surveys. If for any reason a survey cannot take place on the scheduled date, such as poor weather conditions, we will endeavour to reschedule the survey in a timely manner.
Access to land plots are agreed before any surveys may take place. If you are a landowner and have questions about the surveys on your land, please email [email protected] or call 0203 302 0545 or write to: EGL 3 and EGL 4, Ardent, 36 Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5JL.
| Date | Survey | Location | Description |
| May 2026 onwards | Ground Investigation Works - the Walpole area | Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | The current survey works in the Walpole area relate to the Detailed Ground Investigation for EGL 3 and EGL 4, focused on the converter stations and key associated infrastructure. This includes the converter station platforms (EGL 3 and EGL 4), together with access routes and supporting elements such as compounds and drainage features. The purpose of these works is to provide robust ground data to inform detailed design, including early works design, and to reduce ground-related risks should consent be granted. The works are being delivered under a single mobilisation, with compounds established at both converter station locations and access provided via track-matted routes across agricultural land. Initial activities have focused on site set-up, including the installation of compounds, welfare facilities, access routes, and working platforms. This follows a phased ground investigation approach, starting with non-intrusive geophysical surveys completed in April 2026, and progressing into intrusive investigations across the converter stations and associated areas. The intrusive works comprise a range of activities including boreholes, cone penetration tests (CPTs), trial pits, dynamic sampling, and in-situ testing, alongside soil, groundwater, and gas sampling, laboratory testing, and the installation of monitoring points. Mobilisation and compound set-up began in May 2026. Intrusive ground investigation works are scheduled to commence in late June 2026, with an estimated completion date of December 2026, followed by reporting and ongoing monitoring. |
| January to October 2026 | Intrusive Ground Investigations (exploratory holes to include boreholes, trial pits, cone penetration tests, window sampling, dynamic cone penetrometer tests) | Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | The purpose of the ground investigation is to gather data on the ground conditions within the project area to inform the design of the various elements of the project. Exploratory holes will be used to collect samples for laboratory testing, carry out in-situ testing e.g. infiltration tests and provide descriptions of the ground profile. Groundwater monitoring standpipes will be installed in selected holes. All works are to be undertaken initially via Permitted Development Rights and in agreement with the Landowners, by an experienced and competent ground investigation contractor and, following completion of the works, land will be restored in accordance with Environment Agency good practice guidance. |
| July 2026 onwards | Engineering Walkover Survey | Lincolnshire – Anderby Creek to Little Steeping | Surveyors will access land by foot to check for any potential issues in advance of upcoming trenching works. The surveyors will walk the route of the trenching works, observing and recording access points, ground conditions, fencing, crops, PROW, overhead service, places for potential welfare, and health and safety concerns. This is a wholly non-invasive survey. |
| October 2026 | Drainage Survey | Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | Walkover survey to assess the topography of the land, existing land drainage and potential outfall locations for any additional drainage that may be needed during construction. Survey will be undertaken by a small team on foot. This will occur all-year round, across 1-2 days per site, depending on size of the survey area. |
| October 2026 | Soil Resource Survey | Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | Surveyor will access land by foot and using a hand auger to take a soil sample. The exact locations within each field will be determined on site by surveyor and will avoid areas such as farm tracks, field edges etc. Soil pits also be dug using a spade to assess topsoil characteristics in representative soil types. All materials exposed will be laid on plastic sheeting for describing the relevant characteristics and then returned to the hole immediately. Iti s proposed that no auger hole / soil pits are left open for more than 30 minutes and no equipment will be left on site. |
| October 2026 onwards | Cultural Heritage Survey | Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland | Site walkover inspection to determine the topography of the site and existing land use, nature of the existing buildings, earthworks and historic landscape features on the site, and to provide further information on areas of possible past ground disturbance and general historic environment potential. The walkover will extend to selected designated heritage assets beyond the site, to consider potential impacts to their setting. |
| October 2026 onwards | Archaeological Trial Trenching | Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland | Archaeological trial trenches are excavated using a mechanical excavator in a working area typically 60m long and 10m wide. The trenches are up to 50m long, approximately 2m wide and typically 0.4-0.7m deep. Topsoil is excavated by machine and is typically 0.30-0.40m deep. If subsoil is present this is also removed by machine and is kept separate from topsoil. Typically, trial trenches go to a depth of 0.4-0.7m. If anything of interest is found further investigation may be required. Any archaeology, such as pits, ditches or walls will be investigated by hand tools (mattocks, shovels, trowels) and recorded using GPS survey kits. Trenches are backfilled with the excavated materials in the order in which they were excavated and are compacted by the machine excavator. Plant will typically include 360° tracked excavators that are delivered by low-loaders at agreed locations. Equipment is transported in a 4x4 which will be parked close to the survey area. Welfare vans and welfare trailers are used and may be placed upon track-matting, usually situated by the access to the survey area from the public highway |
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