Smaller Housing Schemes Can Proceed Despite Grid Constraints
Electricity provider says 'innovative' solution enables construction to continue
An electricity sub-station. Picture: Richard Webb
The threat to the construction of new homes in parts of west London due to worries about a “shortage” of electricity has been lifted.
It was reported earlier this year that new housing developments in Hounslow, Ealing and Hillingdon would have to be paused due to strain on the electricity network, with no spare capacity for new connections until at least 2035.
City Hall wrote to developers in July warning them it may take up to a decade to upgrade capacity and resume developments, leading to fears that housing targets may not be met.
But in a letter to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, electricity provider Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) confirmed it had reached an “innovative whole system solution” with the National Grid which will allow “smaller demand” housing projects to go ahead in the affected boroughs.
The provider confirmed that any development with an electricity demand below 1MVA (megavolt ampere) – typically between 100 and 250 homes – will be able to proceed without having to wait for lengthy upgrades to the transmission network.
In a written response to a question from Conservative London Assembly Member Emma Best, Sadiq Khan confirmed this would mean “the majority” of housing developments in west London would be able to go ahead without having to wait for upgrades.
According to Mr Khan, City Hall is aware of at least 50 different housing projects in Hounslow, Ealing and Hillingdon that have been impacted by the electricity shortage, with completion dates ranging from 2023 to 2043. This includes projects in receipt of Affordable Homes Programme funding.
But the Mayor of London warned that he and his team had been made aware of electric vehicle charging points and hospitals in west London which could also be affected by the constraints on the electricity network.
SSEN has said that of its 66 customers involved in the delivery of housing in west London which had been identified as facing electricity constraints, 42 would now be able to connect under the new approach.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
Related links
|