THE FIGHT TO STOP AQUIND CONTINUES
Very rarely, if ever, does an issue unite people of all political persuasions, local and national politicians, and residents of all nationalities, religious beliefs, and social standings.
Aquind Interconnector is such an issue. Objections to it bound a passionate group of people together, committed to defending their city and its environs against the destructive unnecessary proposal. MPs and Councillors were unanimous in their criticism. Residents along the route are united.
We Need Help to Raise Awareness of Stop Aquind!
We are looking to raise awareness of the Aquind Interconnector as much as possible in the next few months. We know that the decision process is building momentum, with the recent statement of the Secretary of State being published at the start of March and objections needing to be made by the end of March 2023 (see below on how to object).
There is also concern over the recent ‘Statement of Cooperation on Energy between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the French Republic’ signed in Paris on the 10th March 2023 (you can read/download a PDF copy HERE). There feels like a rush to get Aquind through…maybe before a general election in the not too distant future?
We need people to find out about the impact Aquind will have on their lives as soon as possible, and we need your help to do that. The Stop Aquind team are all people volunteering their time and skills but some things require financial support, like poster printing, etc. If you can help in any way please donate to our Go Fund Me campaign HERE.
WRITE YOUR OBJECTION BY 31/03/2023
BREAKING NEWS
LET’S STOP AQUIND RELEASES OPEN LETTER TO RISHI SUNAK, JEREMY HUNT AND GRANT SHAPPS: “IT’S TIME TO STOP AQUIND”
Sign the open letter HERE.
Portsmouth, Hampshire – 1st March 2023
Community pressure group Let’s Stop Aquind has revitalised its long-running campaign against the Aquind Interconnector in response to the recent high court judgement in favour of Aquind Limited, which quashed the government’s original decision not to allow the project.
As all parties wait for Secretary of State for Energy Grant Shapps to issue further directions on how he intends to re-determine the decision, Let’s Stop Aquind yesterday launched an online open letter directed to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Grant Shapps, making a powerful case for the Aquind Interconnector plans to be permanently dropped and demanding protection from the oligarch owners of Aquind.
Viola Langley, Co-founder of the group explained why the campaign is more important than ever:
“We are reaching a crucial stage of the process and it is vital the voice of Portsmouth is heard in government. After last year’s decision, many people along the route think the whole project has simply gone away, but it is hanging in the balance once again. We have to warn people what this project would mean for the environment, and while we pleased that the original decision made by Kwasi Kwarteng went in our favour, we need to know that our government will still protect us from oligarchs who want to rip up our city for private profit.”
The open letter has been an immediate success with nearly 300 people adding their names within the first 24 hours. This illustrates how the campaign has struck a chord with not just residents along the route, but people all over the Portsmouth area. One of the central concerns is how the city would cope with the years of construction required to lay the proposed cross-channel high voltage cables and private communications network from landfall at Eastney through to Lovedean in the South Downs.
Paula Savage, environmental campaigner and Co-founder of Let’s Stop Aquind, spoke about the strength of feeling against the project:
“We are seeing a wave of new people join our Facebook group in the last few weeks as it sinks in that the threat of Aquind is hanging over us again. Despite hundreds of objections made by local people in the original examination of the plans, our voices were ignored by the Planning Inspectorate and we have to speak up. The city is united against the Aquind Interconnector and we see through the fake claims of cheap electricity Aquind has made to justify destroying our precious green spaces, public amenities and delicate wildlife habitats. There is also a lot of anger about the relationship between Aquind and the Conservative Party, which has accepted more than £1.5 million in donations from Aquind Limited, its owners and directors. It’s astonishing that the two most powerful men in government, the Prime Minster and Chancellor, have accepted these donations alongside 32 other Conservative MP’s currently sitting in Parliament. In fact, Jeremy Hunt’s constituency has accepted the most of all – £72,500 since 2019, from a company owned by Soviet-born oligarchs. People have simply had enough and are asking questions about how this can be legal, and what are Aquind expecting for their money?“
The renewed interest in Let’s Stop Aquind’s grassroots campaign will see the group once again try to raise awareness of the risks of the project along the route from Portsmouth, through Purbrook, Waterlooville and Denmead to Lovedean. Leaflets, posters and craftivism as well as the open letter, social media and stopaquind.com website will be used to get the message across.
Viola Langley reflected on the recent surge in activity since the high court setback:
“There are still people along the route who don’t know about this project at all, and many more who don’t know about the pollution it would cause; the toxic waste that would be disturbed by the construction or even the impact of the gridlock and chaos from digging up Eastern Road, which would faced by the football club and businesses throughout the city. Both Portsmouth MP’s, the Leader of Portsmouth City Council and every city councillor across the political spectrum unanimously rejects the proposal. For the good of the city, we’re doing everything we can to shine a light on this bizarre company and its crazy project. We call on everyone to get involved by signing and sharing the open letter asking our political leaders to listen to Portsmouth, not oligarchs, and stop the Aquind Interconnector.“
You can add your name to the open letter here: https://bit.ly/stopaquindletter
Aquind: Government loses bid to block cross-Channel electricity cable – BBC News (ARTICLE)
“The UK government’s decision to refuse permission for a £1.2bn electricity link between England and France has been overturned in the High Court.“
Aquind wins judicial review to build interconnector meaning decision will be looked at again by the government – The News (ARTICLE)
“Aquind says it has won a bid to have a second attempt to build an electricity interconnector in Hampshire countryside and lay cables through Portsmouth.“
What Is the Problem?
Aquind’s proposal is to install cables, designed to carry 2 million watts of electricity, under Eastney beach and to dig trenches and drill tunnels from the landing-place, South to North, to connect the cables to The National Grid at Lovedean. Electricity generated in Europe could flow to the UK and vice versa. The construction of this project would mean many months of disruption and untold damage to the fabric of the city and along the route. Toxic material long-buried safely in landfill sites might be unearthed, further harming the environment in a city already suffering severe congestion.
Traffic chaos, causing much pollution, would negatively affect the people who live in, and those who would want to visit, Portsmouth. Let us not forget Portsmouth is the 2nd most densely populated city outside London.
The project is being imposed upon the city and South Hampshire by the Government. It was rejected by Portsmouth City Council and the various County and Parish Councils along the route when first proposed by the developer, Aquind. Following the local rejection, Aquind took their case to the Government Department dealing with energy supply (BEIS). They wanted the project to be given NSIP(Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project) status and then to apply for a DCO( Development Consent Order) thus removing all decision-making from local to national level.
The then Secretary of State for the Department directed that their request be granted. This was no surprise as he had previously been publicly very supportive of the scheme. This direction effectively took control and any decisions out of the hands of local interests. It allowed the developer to push on with the proposal, following legislation embodied in the Planning Act of 2008. Examination of their application by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) took place this year, its Recommendation went to BEIS in early June and in September a decision will be announced by the current SoS (Secretary of State) at BEIS Kwasi Kwarteng.
Read More About The Issues
You can read more here about the issues around the Aquind Interconnector project:
- Aquind: Government loses bid to block cross-Channel electricity cable – BBC News
- Anne-Marie Trevelyan ‘risked misleading parliament by omission’ over energy project lobbying – The Times
- Pandora Papers: Businessman linked to Tory donations made millions from alleged fraud – The BBC
- Russian tycoon’s link to alleged corruption in leaked files raises questions for Tory ministers – The Guardian
- Kwasi Kwarteng accused of misleading claims over power cable project – The Guardian
- Embezzlement Allegations Cast Shadow OVER AQUIND ENERGY PROJECT – Byline Times
- Cable tycoon lobbied Brexit negotiator Lord Frost over energy deal – The Times
- Firm Behind Giant Channel Cable Project is Owned by Former Soviet Oil Men and is Generous Conservative Donor – Byline Times
- Tories take £280k from Russia-linked donors in year since report called for crackdown – The Mirror
- Calls for ministers to ‘come clean’ over links to cross-Channel power cable sponsor – The Guardian
- Questions remain as cross-channel power line decision approaches – Sky News
- FOI Aquind Meeting Minutes with Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy – What Do They Know
- Local authority accuses secretive Russian Tory donor’s firm of ‘abusing planning laws’ – Open Democracy
- Energy minister met Russia-linked donor Alexander Temerko despite warnings of ‘trap’ – The Times
- Russian influence in UK under the spotlight – CNN
Latest News
Below are some of our latest news articles, you can read more news HERE.
Press Releases from Stop Aquind
