People living next to pylons to save on energy bills

People living new pylons nationwide will be able to get reduced energy bills under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Household within 500 metres of new or upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure will get electricity discounts of up to £2,500 over ten years. This will allow rural communities to receive hundreds of pounds in their pockets for hosting vital infrastructure.

As well as reduced bills, new guidance will outline how developers can make sure communities hosting transmission infrastructure can benefit, by funding projects like sports clubs, educational programmes, or leisure facilities. 

Communities that host this important infrastructure will therefore directly benefit, as well as every household in the country by moving the UK away from fossil fuel dependency.

By 2030, the UK will need twice as much new transmission network infrastructure than has been built in the past decade, and community benefits help to reduce opposition and delays to building new infrastructure. 

Building new transmission infrastructure is critical to unleashing growth with £40 billion a year of mainly private investment, creating good jobs across the country, protecting households from the precarious fossil fuel market and helping boost Britain’s energy security.

Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said: “We owe it to the people of this country to get Britain building again. It is no longer a question of whether we build the new infrastructure we need but a question of how and this must be done in lockstep with local communities.

“This government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill will slash energy bills for local people living near new projects, so they benefit as we drive forward in our mission to achieve a more prosperous and energy secure future for the next generation.

“This is delivering on our Plan for Change to accelerate growth in every region across the country, raising living standards and putting more money back into the pockets of working people and families.”

These new community funds guidance means that communities could get £200,000 worth of funding per km of overhead electricity cable in their area and £530,000 per substation.