Email from Mrs CJ Barrett regarding National Grid's preferred substation location and route corridor including comments on proposed wind farms and pylons in Mid Wales.

The Planning Inspectorate provided the following advice:
I understand that you have heard on the news that the National Grid Mid Wales connection proposal has identified Cefn Coch in Powys as the preferred substation siting area, and the preferred route corridor for the electric line is proposed through your village.
The electric line proposal is currently in the pre-application stage of the process and therefore has not yet been formally submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. Until an application is formally submitted, the developer is your first point of contact for any comments you have on the proposal. Responding to the developer?s pre-application consultation is the best approach to influence a project, whether you agree with it, disagree with it, or believe it could be improved. I would therefore encourage you to ensure that National Grid (the developer) is aware of the contents of your letter. Please note that the substation aspect of the scheme will not be considered by the Planning Inspectorate, due to devolution in Wales, but is likely to be determined by the local authority.
Before formally consulting people living in the vicinity of the electric line project, the developer will prepare a Statement of Community Consultation (SOCC), having first consulted relevant local authorities about what it should contain. The SOCC will detail the consultation the developer intends to undertake with the local community about their project. The developer is then required to carry out their consultation with the local community as set out in the SOCC. To confirm, the developer has yet to undertake formal SOCC consultation for the electric line proposal, however as you may be aware they have already undertaken some consultation on this scheme.
Once the electric line application is submitted and if it is accepted to proceed to examination, there will be an opportunity for people to register with the Planning Inspectorate to have their say. By registering at the appropriate time you will then be asked to outline your comments to the Examining Authority.
You may be aware that the electric line proposal is identified under the project name of Mid Wales Electricity Connection (N Grid) on our website on the following link, you will also find the developers contact details on this webpage:
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The Planning Inspectorate is currently aware of three wind farm proposals in Powys that would be determined under the same process. Again at the pre-application stage of the process the developer is your first point of contact.
I have included a link to our advice notes that set out the process by which proposals (under the Planning Act 2008) would be determined; in particular Advice Notes 8.1 - 8.5 outline how the process works and the opportunities to be involved: attachment 3 You have also asked if the Planning Inspectorate can support your community against this and similar proposed developments. This is a strictly neutral body and cannot hold an opinion on either side of such a debate.