Our first phase of engagement on North Falls and Five Estuaries’ Joint Substations Design Guide (Design Guide) opened on Monday 18 August and ran for six weeks until 11:59pm Monday 29 September.
The full Design Guide is available to read here.
Image: Map of proposed substation sites in relation to the local area.
Our drop-in public information day at Lawford Venture Centre, Bromley Road, Manningtree CO11 2JE was held on Tuesday 2 September, from 3pm to 7pm.
At this event visitors could view our summary panels, speak to the project teams, pick up a printed copy of the Design Guide and submit feedback.
North Falls and Five Estuaries’ Design Guide has been prepared to support the development of detailed proposals for both projects’ co-located onshore substations.
Prior to the submission of each project’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application, both North Falls and Five Estuaries prepared ‘design approach documents’ to outline individual plans and to evidence the ‘good design’ followed, in accordance with the overarching national planning policy for energy.
This Design Guide brings together the two projects’ individual approaches and plans into one combined document that, when finalised, will be issued to the commissioned substation designers to provide a framework for the final substation designs.
Landscape and Ecology Masterplan, taken from the first draft of the Design Guide.
The purpose of the Design Guide and our engagement with surrounding communities is to:
The Design Guide is an iterative document, subject to review by key stakeholders, interested parties and an independent design review panel.
The content will evolve as stakeholder feedback is gathered, and the shortlist of acceptable options is refined. The Design Guide will eventually become a document issued to the commissioned substation designers to provide a framework for the final designs of each substation.
You can also request a printed copy or ask any questions you may have by emailing contact@northfallsoffshore.com.
The Design Guide is split into five parts:
• Part 1: Context, Requirements and Design Standards
This sets the scene for the design guidance included in the subsequent chapters. It sets the context for the projects and sets out clear regulatory, technical and performance requirements for future detailed design.
• Part 2: Layout, Design and Materials Guidance
• Part 3: Environmental Colour Assessment
• Part 4: Landscape and Ecology Guidance
• Part 5: Consultation
This provides an overview of the consultation process. The final Design Guide will summarise the feedback received at each stage and the changes made to the document as a result.
You may find it helpful to read the Design Guide alongside our Design Guide summary information panels. These were also available to view at our public information day.
The first draft of the Joint Design Guide was published on Monday 18 August. This triggered the beginning of a six-week engagement period, which ended on Monday 29 September.
Following this, there will be a period where the project teams consider the feedback received.
Over October and November we expect to hold our second phase of engagement, during which we will presented an updated draft of the Joint Design Guide for further review. We will also present people’s feedback and explain how this has been considered in the development of the Joint Design Guide. We then expect to finalise the Joint Design Guide in December.
*Future milestones are as anticipated at the time of publishing and subject to change.
A working group focusing on the design process between the projects and councils was established early in the Joint Design Guide process, with a clear goal to ensure transparency and oversight.
The group has and will continue to meet on a regular basis to share updates and insight as the Design Guide develops and during the detailed design phase.
An output of this working group has been the inclusion of the Essex Quality Review Panel (EQPR) in the process. Established by the Essex Planning Officers Association, in partnership with Place Services, the EQRP ensures delivery and promotion of high quality new developments within Essex through the creation of good design, sustainability, and improved quality, creating better places and environments to work and live in the county.
The councils will also be invited to observe or will be fully briefed on the process and outcomes on the Design Review Panel (format dependent). The Design Review Panel is an internal North Falls and Five Estuaries panel. Members will be appointed from elsewhere within the shareholders’ organisations to provide technical guidance and experience throughout the Joint Design Guide process, ensuring that design quality is maintained throughout the whole process and during construction.
North Falls and Five Estuaries understand the benefits of coordinating with nearby projects (National Grid’s Norwich to Tilbury and the Tarchon Interconnector Project) and aim to do so wherever possible. To this end, we are in regular dialogue with National Grid and the Tarchon Project and we have signed a ‘Cooperation Agreement’ with National Grid regarding interactions and activities around the proposed substation sites.
In some areas, however, coordination at this time is naturally limited. This is because all the projects are on different timelines and at different stages of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) consenting process. During 2026, Norwich to Tilbury is likely to reach the Examination stage of the NSIP consenting process and the Tarchon Project will likely hold its statutory consultation. North Falls and Five Estuaries are more advanced and expect to receive their consent decisions from the Secretary of State in 2025 and early 2026 respectively. As a result, we are in a position to carry out engagement on the Joint Substations Design Guide (Design Guide) ahead of starting to engage with substation designers and contractors.
We have committed to co-locate our respective substations and we will share the same onshore cable corridor. Our timelines are also very similar. All of which means we are able to more closely coordinate and carry out this engagement together.
Norwich to Tilbury’s onshore substation (the East Anglia Connection Node, or ‘EACN’) is the connection point for our projects, but it is proposed to be situated adjacent to, rather than co-located with, our proposed substations.
National Grid will be a key stakeholder throughout the Design Guide engagement process, and we will ensure that any proposals brought forward consider Norwich to Tilbury and the Tarchon Project. Alongside Essex County Council and Tendring District Council, we will pass on shared experience and knowledge to these nearby projects, helping to ensure that their design processes complement our own and develop in the best interests of local communities.
