It has been a strange mix of quiet in regards to the decision but a flurry of activity from Let’s Stop Aquind, Portsmouth City Council and the local MPs in response to the issues. Here is a quick update on some of the recent events.
One of the key moments was the new Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho MP in September. Hope rises with a new face in the key role but you also get a sense that with the Secretary of State constantly changing, how can they appreciate the issues with the Aquind project? In response to this new appointment a letter was sent from local MP Stephen Morgan reiterating the issues with the project and asking for a date for the decision. You can read the letter HERE.
Portsmouth City Council continues to put pressure on the company in the context of the ongoing sea defences work around the city of Portsmouth, and where that work would interface with the planned route of the interconnector.
1st of October marked the 3rd anniversary of Let’s Stop Aquind! In October our counterparts in France Non a Aquind have also been very busy protesting their side of the planned Aquind Interconnector project route, you can find the news cuttings and updates on our Facebook Group to find out more.
November was really busy with a Let’s Stop Aquind trip to London to deliver a letter and book of our submissions to new Secretary of State, you can read all about the trip in the article on Portsmouth News website. You can read the letter HERE.
At around the same time the city of Portsmouth experienced total gridlock due to road works on the Eastern Road. The city has only three roads on/off Portsea Island and one had extended emergency roadworks closing one side. There has long been talk of the predicted deep impact of months, even years, of lane closures or worse as the proposed Aquind Interconnector forced ditches along major roads through Portsmouth, Waterlooville and all the way to the grid connection at Lovedean. The traffic around this event in November starkly brought to light how fragile the travel network in the city is right now. The BBC News website wrote about this issue. You can see the proposed route in detail mapped in drone photos and in video HERE.
In late November Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan raised in Parliament the issue of the Aquind Interconnector project and also called for clarity on exactly when the final decision will be made. You can watch the video HERE on our Facebook Group.
As a final decision does seemly get much closer we’ll keep you updated. The best place for the latest news would be to join our Facebook Group HERE and we’ll continue to update the website as we go. Thank you for your ongoing support.
