Consultation results

What we are doing

North Falls is working on an outline Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) with details of how HGV and other vehicle movements will be to controlled, monitored and enforced during construction. Amongst other details it will include how accesses and offsite highway works will be designed and how a temporary haul road within the construction corridor will minimise the amount of traffic on the local road network.

What we are doing

North Falls has carried out assessments on geology, ground conditions, hydrology and flood risk for each of the project’s construction, operation and decommissioning phases. This information will inform a Flood Risk Assessment, which will establish whether the onshore infrastructure may be affected by current or future flooding, whether it will increase the flood risk elsewhere and what mitigation can be implemented to reduce it.

What we are doing

We are identifying each recreational route in the area of our proposed construction works and will incorporate plans to minimise disruption either through use of specific construction techniques, alternative routes or by careful timing of activities.

What we are doing

As the water main north of Thorpe Lane is owned by the local water company, it would not be within the project's remit to remove or replace it. However we will liaise with the water company so they are aware of our plans and the feedback we have received during consultation.

What we are doing

A land drainage consultant will be appointed to develop pre-and post-construction drainage plans in consultation with local landowners for all affected areas of the cable route. Additionally, land drainage systems will be maintained during construction and land drainage would be reinstated once construction is complete as part of the reinstatement phase.

What we are doing

We are following National Infrastructure Commission guidance (published February 2020), which sets out design principles for nationally significant infrastructure projects such as North Falls. These mean we will consider the cumulative impacts of other proposed substations and factors including substation orientation, fencing and associated landscaping and vegetation such as native woodland planting and hedgerows. Our site selection principles are also aligned to the Horlock Rules guidance on siting and design of substations.

North Falls has noted requests to better understand how the substation could look and will include more photographs with examples of similar substations and visual representations in future consultation(s).

What we are doing

Comprehensive ecological surveys have been undertaken across the whole proposed development area recording the presence of any habitat, bird species or wildlife, including insects, that is either protected in law or notable due to its rare, scarce or vulnerable status. This information is being used to inform the baseline for planning and full details of how it has been considered will be included in the preliminary environmental information report which we will consult on this year.

What we are doing

More details around the specifics of the HDD process will be included in the upcoming PEIR but the concerns have been noted and will be addressed. For example by the use of an inert clay as drilling fluid and pre-work noise assessments to ascertain the need for temporary noise mitigation, which would be put in place for the duration of activity.

What we are doing

We can confirm this will be a priority to ensure the local community is aware of what is happening and when. Communications methodologies will include direct letters, newsletters and eNews, a 24-hour phone line and local briefings.

What we are doing

North Falls has noted all the objections to the existing location and has shared feedback with National Grid, who provided the project with its grid connection. While North Falls continues to work towards the existing grid connection location as that is the only current option, in parallel the project remains committed to the OTNR process with more details on that below.

What we are doing

The fact this event happens each Friday during summer has been noted and will be referenced in our development consent order application. While the exact cable route has yet to be confirmed, if it is close to the car boot sale site, we would work with organisers to minimise any potential disruption from construction activity.

What we are doing

We have reviewed the initial route which did include corners of some residential gardens, however it has now been narrowed down and amended to completely avoid residential gardens.

What we are doing

There are numerous complex changes needed to regulations and legislation in order for offshore wind farms to be able to connect their projects offshore. North Falls continues to play a role in the Offshore Transmission Network Review which aims to deliver the necessary changes. As such we have committed to exploring coordinated network designs with along with four other projects in East Anglia: Five Estuaries, National Grid Electricity Transmission's Sea Link, and National Grid Ventures' EuroLink and Nautilus, and we continue to work together on this process.

What we are doing

Due to the location of the two projects, North Falls will continue to work closely with Five Estuaries on key elements such as cable corridor selection (to optimise both onshore routes), onshore substation location, environmental surveys and by sharing consultation feedback.