Suffolk County Council’s concerns for LionLink’s impact on Suffolk coastline

• The proposed northern landing points at Southwold and Walberswick are wholly unacceptable
• This project should be considered and examined jointly with the Sea Link project

Suffolk County Council has submitted a second, extensive response to proposals for LionLink, an energy project which could see considerable impacts on Suffolk’s coastal communities and natural environment.

Plans would see the project coming onshore near Southwold and Walberswick, with a cable route affecting Southwold and Reydon. This would affect Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The council believes that this is wholly unacceptable.

The LionLink project aims to connect multiple offshore wind farms in the North Sea, instead of individual wind farms connecting one-by-one to the shore. The project is a joint venture between the UK and the Netherlands, supplying energy to both countries.

The council believes that there should be more co-ordination with other offshore projects, particularly Sea Link, which could be considered and examined jointly with LionLink.

Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Environment, said:

“The impact of LionLink on our local communities, businesses and natural environment would be substantial.

“The option to bring the project onshore at Southwold or Walberswick is unacceptable. It’s close to people’s homes, access to the road network is challenging and is located in the AONB on the borders of Minsmere.

“Neither can we support the proposed cable route which is a considerable distance from the substation at Friston which it would need to connect to. Construction would have a significant impact on the highly sensitive landscape of the Wang River and Blyth River Valleys. The cable route would also cross the A12 twice, which is a concern with the disruption that would cause.”

Suffolk County Council has been calling for better co-ordination of energy projects, such as LionLink, for years. Just last week (24 October), the council announced it is preparing its response to Sea Link, another significant off-shore electricity connection which could affect Saxmundham and Aldeburgh.

Councillor Rout continues:

“The LionLink website states that it is ‘a vital step toward an integrated North Sea grid’, however I fail to see how there is any integration with other similar projects – LionLink, Sea Link and Nautilus are all being addressed in isolation, despite all originating from National Grid.

“We fully support these ambitions to improve the country’s energy security, but the lack of coordination across these different projects is a concern. It would seem logical to coordinate the LionLink and Sea Link proposals, which would reduce the burden on our local communities and enable the Planning Inspectorate to consider both projects at the same time.”

The council’s submission to the second non-statutory consultation for LionLink can be read here. The consultation closes on Friday 3 November 2023, with National Grid Ventures expecting to submit a Development Consent Order application in 2025.