Recognising the enormous impact that the plans will have on Fylde’s ecology, economy and communities, I rise to present a petition. I thank the parishes of Newton, Clifton, Freckleton, Westby and Wrea Green and the town councils of Kirkham and St Annes for asking EnBW, BP and the other organisations behind the Morecambe and Morgan project to reconsider their proposals for transmission assets. Residents are understandably concerned by the proposals, given the audible buzz generated by two massive substations, the disruption for local schools, the footprint of a single substation being the equivalent of 13 football pitches at a height of 20 metres, and the fact that the 122 metre-wide cable corridor will rip through the heart of rural Fylde.
The petition states:
The petition of residents of the constituency of Fylde in Lancashire,
Declares that the Morecambe and Morgan project should reconsider their plans for Transmission Asset cabling and proposed substations in Fylde; further declares that the proposed plans of the project will disrupt wildlife, communities and agricultural land.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to heed the residents’ concerns and work with those leading the project to share all relevant documents and studies transparently, and seek alternative connections to the National Grid.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[P002920]