WCLC position on LionLink

The Trustees of the WCLC have clearly stated their opposition to the National Grid Ventures' LionLink proposed landfall sites at the G1 & G2 sites and the associated cable corridor. In summary, the WCLC’s objections are primarily based on the impact of major construction work at G or G2, involving heavy machinery, excavations, drilling, noise, dust and lighting, which would be immense in social, environmental and economic terms. Aside from the major environmental threat described below, there will inevitably be an impact on the area not only as an amenity to local residents, but on the potential attraction of the area to the thousands of visitors who come from far and wide – to walk, to go to the beach, to surf, to go crabbing or to watch wild birds. The construction of LionLink over a prolonged period of time would have a major impact on Walberswick's economy and the revenues of local businesses. That will, in turn, have a significant impact on the Charity's income which will limit our ability to fulfil our objectives. The WCLC’s position was laid out comprehensively in the submissions to the LionLink consultations in 2022 and 2023:
 

NOVEMBER 2023:  The Charity submitted its response to the LionLink G2 proposal. The document can still be viewed HERE

DECEMBER 2022:  The Charity's reponse to the original Eurolink proposal can still be viewed HERE

LionLink Groundworks Investigations
In August 2024 NGV LionLink put in an application to East Suffolk to carry out groundwork investigations in and around Walberswick.

The WCLC raised a number of concerns directly with NGV but also in robust representations to Natural England and East Suffolk Council. These were based on the potential threat from these works to the wildlife and habitats in the environmentally designated sites along the shore, the marshes and elsewhere. The WCLC currently has a duty to preserve these habitats under a Countryside Stewardship Agreement with Natural England.  See the Natural England notice HERE

NGV LionLink asked the WCLC for permission to carry out works on WCLC land, specifically the proposed borehole B which is located on the beach close to the dunes which are being badly affected by erosion.  WCLC did not grant that permission but did raise a number of concerns about the proposed works. WCLC Trustees subsequently met with representatives of NGV LionLink and Fisher German (NGV’s agents) and, on one occasion, the GI works contractors on site to discuss these concerns. NGV LionLink revisited its plans and provided some further assurances about how the works would be conducted in order to mitigate the risk to the stability of the dunes and to flora situated on the shingle banks.

On 18 October 2024 East Suffolk Council gave approval to the GI works but subject to a number of mitigation measures that reflected representations made by Natural England in their letter. See the ESC notice HERE

The GI investigation works started immediately after this with GI teams starting boreholes in Manor Field, Track Field and the Caravan Park. LionLink has emailed the WCLC confirming that they will comply with the required mitigation measures and stating that all the GI works in these areas will be completed in the window up to 31 October. It seems likely that the work on the beach is taking place between 24-31 October 2024 and will last 3-4 days. The WCLC will be monitoring these works to ensure that (as far as possible) they comply with the measures laid down by the Council. NGV will be commissioning this work on WCLC land exercising its statutory powers to do so where the landowner has refused permission.

Update – JANUARY 2025
Given the constraints set by East Suffolk Council, NGV only had a week to conduct the Ground Investigations that they were planning around the marshes and the immediate vicinity of Walberswick. Whilst they carried on with the offshore drilling (and on the cable route outside Walberswick) they only managed to drill the boreholes on Manor Field and the caravan park., they were unable to drill borehole B on the beach as the drilling rig got stuck in the sand at Dunwich. They did not dig any trial pits on Manor Field as far as the WCLC is aware. 
Following exchanges of emails with NGV in November, they admitted that they were unable to drill borehole B and this specific item of work had been postponed until 2025 and it would still have to comply with ecological mitigations i.e. can only be done in September-October. In relation to the trial pits they admitted that they weren’t all completed in the timescale and if they are postponed until 2025, like the borehole they would have to comply with ecological mitigations (Sept-Oct only).  At this point the WCLC does not know how these developments will impact on the LionLink programme.
In December, NGV published a Winter edition of their Community Newsletter. It would appear from this newsletter that the timetable that NGV is working to has shifted slightly. In the Summer edition of their Community Newsletter NGV indicated that the ‘Next Stage of the Consultation with Local Residents & Communities’ and the ‘publication of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report’ would both happen at roughly the same time in 2025 (date unspecified). Also, they suggested that the ‘submission of the DCO’  and the ‘publication of the Environment Statement’ would happen later in 2025.
In this new Community Newsletter NGV now indicate that in ‘Spring 2025’ they will: 
•    Select preferred site
•    Hold pre-consultation community update event
•    Do Archaeology works along cable route and preferred sites

The selection of the preferred site is obviously a very critical point for the WCLC and the residents of Walberswick. The WCLC will be monitoring the situation very carefully and will endeavour to ascertain when the choice of site will be publicised and (if possible) whether it will be Walberswick or Southwold/Reydon.
NGV also state in the Newsletter that in Autumn 2025 they will:
•    Hold statutory consultation with local residents and communities
•    Publish the Preliminary Environmental Information Report.

Also, the DCO submission (the Development Consent Order which is the formal application for planning consent) and the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) statement have now been pushed back to 2026.