Ten Parish Councils Unite Over National Grid Cross Border Connection Plans
Ten parish councils across north Cumbria have joined forces to coordinate their response to major proposed electricity infrastructure affecting the region.
The newly formed North Cumbria Parish Council Alliance brings together councils representing communities between the Scotland England border and north Carlisle. The group intends to provide a coordinated local response to National Grid’s proposed Cross Border Connection project, which includes new overhead electricity lines and a major substation.
The proposed development is designed to improve electricity flows between Scotland and England and support the movement of renewable energy through the national electricity network. National Grid has said the project could help provide clean, home grown energy capable of powering up to six million homes, while upgrades to the wider network are being developed in response to increasing electricity demand.
Under the current proposals, a new electricity connection would run from the England Scotland border near Kershopefoot towards a new substation in the Carlisle area. Two potential substation locations are being considered, with the final route and location yet to be decided as the project remains at an early stage of development.
One option would see the new connection terminate at a proposed substation north of Carlisle close to the existing Harker substation. This route would require approximately 28 kilometres of new overhead electricity line and would pass through areas represented by several of the parish councils now involved in the alliance.
The alternative proposal would involve a longer route of approximately 47 kilometres and would terminate at a proposed substation south of Carlisle. This option would cross the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site north of the River Eden, where parts of the historic Roman frontier survive as underground archaeological remains.
The scale of the proposed infrastructure has prompted concerns among communities located along the potential routes. The alliance said the parish councils share concerns about the possible effects on local communities, agricultural land, homes, the countryside and the wider rural economy if the project proceeds in its current form.
The alliance was brought together by the community campaign group North Carlisle and Cumbria Against Pylons and Substation. Its member councils represent communities located along the proposed overhead line corridor and around the area being considered for the northern substation option.
The parish councils have adopted a shared position calling for the proposed overhead electricity connection to be placed underground in full, or at least undergrounded through the most sensitive sections of the proposed route. The alliance also opposes the northern substation option and wants alternative locations to be properly assessed before a preferred site is selected.
Councillor David Coulthard, chair of the alliance and Westlinton Parish Council, said the proposed infrastructure would extend beyond individual parish boundaries and could have long term consequences across north Cumbria. He said the alliance would allow the councils and local communities to participate more effectively in what is expected to be a lengthy and technically complex planning process.
The alliance has acknowledged the need to strengthen the national electricity network while arguing that rural communities should not simply be expected to accommodate major infrastructure because of where they are located. Its position calls for National Grid to demonstrate that avoidance, alternative locations, rerouting and undergrounding have all been properly considered before measures intended to reduce environmental or community impacts are relied upon.
Councillor Dawn Beer, vice chair of the alliance and a member of Hethersgill Parish Council, said communities along the proposed corridor faced interconnected issues that would be difficult for individual parish councils to address separately. She said the alliance would allow councils to share evidence, support each other and ensure the combined effects on north Cumbria were properly considered before important decisions are taken.
National Grid has said the Cross Border Connection remains at an early stage and that no final decisions have yet been made on either the route of the overhead line or the location of the proposed substation. The company has also said it welcomes feedback from communities and that responses received during consultation will be considered alongside environmental, technical and engineering assessments.
The first consultation on the proposals took place between October and December last year. National Grid said it received more than 500 responses during that period, while 675 people attended public information events held as part of the consultation process. The feedback is now being reviewed as further technical and environmental work is carried out.
National Grid expects to undertake a further stage of public engagement in 2027 as the proposals are developed. The company has said community feedback will continue to form part of the process as updated plans are prepared and more detailed information becomes available about the potential route and substation location.
The alliance will now provide a collective structure through which the ten parish councils can continue examining the proposals and preparing their responses. The group is expected to remain involved as the project moves through further consultation and the formal planning process associated with major national infrastructure developments.
The proposed Cross Border Connection is expected to remain a significant issue for communities across north Cumbria while National Grid considers the available options. With the parish councils now working together, local representatives will be able to coordinate evidence and concerns as the project develops and before any final route or substation location is selected.
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