Kent Wildlife Trust has expressed deep disappointment following the Secretary of State’s decision to approve National Grid’s Sea Link electricity infrastructure project between Kent and Suffolk. The project involves a high-voltage subsea cable that would come ashore at Pegwell Bay, part of the internationally important Sandwich and Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve.
The Trust, which owns and manages areas of the reserve, is concerned about the potential impacts on protected wildlife and sensitive coastal habitats, including disturbance to internationally important bird populations and damage to irreplaceable saltmarsh. It fears the project could add to the pressures already facing this important wildlife site and make the recovery of vulnerable habitats even more challenging.
These concerns are heightened by the legacy of the previous Nemo Link interconnector cable project, which left a lasting scar on the Bay’s saltmarsh following installation works. Subsequent monitoring indicated that the area has still not recovered, raising questions about whether the long-term ecological consequences of major infrastructure developments are being adequately understood, monitored and addressed.
Over the past four years, the conservation charity has reviewed extensive Sea Link project documentation, participated in the project’s examination and raised concerns about the potential consequences for protected wildlife, sensitive coastal habitats and the wider landscape. It has also highlighted shortcomings in proposed measures to avoid, reduce and compensate for environmental harm. With consent now granted, the Trust says continued scrutiny will be essential to ensure environmental protections are upheld.
Emma Waller, Senior Planning and Policy Officer at Kent Wildlife Trust, said:
“We are deeply disappointed by the decision to grant consent for Sea Link. We have spent the past four years closely examining the proposals and raising serious concerns about what the project could mean for protected wildlife and habitats at Sandwich and Pegwell Bay.
“We recognise the need to upgrade the electricity network to support the transition to a low-carbon future. However, there is a profound irony in destroying or degrading the very natural habitats that help us tackle climate change and protect us from its impacts.
“Saltmarshes and other coastal habitats are vital natural carbon sinks, while also providing natural flood defences that help protect coastal communities from flooding and erosion. Damaging these habitats risks undermining our resilience to climate change at the very time we should be strengthening it. The climate and nature crises are two sides of the same coin, and the transition to clean energy must not come at the expense of the natural systems on which we all depend.
“The granting of consent is not the end of our campaign. We expect National Grid and the relevant regulators to ensure that environmental commitments are delivered, monitored and enforced. We will continue to challenge the project and hold those responsible to account. We owe it to the wildlife that depends on this landscape, and to future generations, to ensure that the consequences of this decision are not overlooked.”
For more information visit our Rethink Sea Link campaign page