Bexwell to Bury St Edmunds pipeline

We’ve been planning this route for a while. We have taken account of information provided from many stakeholders and have refined our route. We aim to avoid areas with environmental, archaeological, cultural and historic value. We have also been undertaking ecological surveys for different species of animals, to back up desk-based studies, and will continue collecting data and making local adjustments. 
 

We have worked closely with the local councils and submitted a technical report last autumn. This report outlined how we would assess and manage the environmental impacts along the route. 
 
We have been in contact with Sunnica Energy Farm who are planning a large-scale solar energy farm in the area. We have carried out surveys and investigations to see whether there were any environmentally sensitive areas such as protected species and archaeology. As a result, we have changed the route of the pipeline to avoid areas of archaeological interest to the south-east of Isleham. 
 
We expect to continue our surveys during 2021 and will be starting to dig some trial trenches and pits to investigate ground conditions and potential  archaeological sites. 
 
We have worked hard to plan a pipeline route which minimises the impact on the environment and we will continue to work with local communities and landowners throughout the construction and commissioning of this scheme. We have planned the route to avoid most of the urban areas and villages to minimise disruption to you and your communities.  
 
We have designed the route taking account of the local environmental, ecological, archaeological, engineering, community and land owner needs and expectations. 

As you can imagine, there is a lot of work involved in installing a new 70km pipeline.  
We’ll develop a Construction Environmental Management Plan and supporting guidance to ensure we work safety and reduce and manage our impacts.  
 
We will work with the local planning authority, parish councils, landowners and all contractors to deliver the scheme with minimal disruption until the pipeline is operational in 2024.  

During installation of the pipes, we will maintain access to public rights of way, protect livestock, and work with landowners to reduce or mitigate any impacts, as far as possible.   
  
Working hours will be from 7:30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, with occasional weekend working, with potential extended working hours in the summer months.  
 
The installation of the pipeline will follow industry good practice using tried and tested techniques. The most common method to lay a pipe is the use of open cut trenches. Where we need to minimise disruption to the ground, such as at some roads and railways, we will use trenchless techniques where pipes are pushed through the ground.  

We have already started our environmental assessments and surveys. These are ongoing and will help us to better understand the current environment where the pipe will be located.  

We will use the information to review how we work and will take advice from experts as needed. 
 
During any construction activity there will be some impacts on the environment. Our aim is to reduce these impacts by avoiding sensitive areas and putting in protection  measures where needed.  Once installed, we do not expect the pipeline to leave any lasting impacts on the surrounding areas.   
 
Most of the proposed pipeline route runs through agricultural fields which produce food and provide important habitat for several species. The pipeline crosses a major and some minor roads and the river Flit.  

Maintaining a mixed and diverse range of species is important as it provides food and shelter for different species. The more diverse the species, the healthier the environment.  
 
We have collected detailed information about the location of sensitive sites along the preferred route, and will continue to carry out surveys and studies throughout the design and construction of the pipeline.  All the information we collect and assess helps to ensure we mitigate and manage our impacts.

Some temporary, reversible disruption may happen in some areas during construction. We will plan work to keep disturbance to a minimum and provide alternatives where feasible. 

We will carefully manage our vehicle movements and transportation of materials around the rural roads to reduce the impact on local road users and manage any required road diversions or lane closures to reduce disruption and delays.