Information for landowners
When developing proposals for network upgrades, we need to understand who has a legal interest in the land in and around the areas being considered as part of the projects.
In the DCO process, anyone with a legal interest in land is known as a Person with an Interest in Land (PIL). If you are identified as a PIL, we will contact you directly.
Whilst much of the information we need to confirm a legal interest on is available on public registers, we have appointed land referencing firm Ardent to contact individual landowners to verify the publicly available information and ensure NGET has have made best efforts to identify any potentially impacted landowners. Ardent operates across multiple sectors, providing land and consenting advice to support the promotion and delivery of major projects in the UK and Ireland.
More information regarding National Grid’s land rights and payment schedules, can be found here.
Ardent will also assist with contacting landowners and occupiers to arrange access for non-intrusive and intrusive surveys which we plan to carry out from summer 2024.
More detailed information for landowners, along with relevant contact information can be found on the landowner page of our project website.
If you are a landowner and believe your property may be affected by our proposals, and want to talk to our lands team, please email [email protected] or call 0203 693 2500 or write to: EGL 3 and EGL 4, Ardent, 36 Park Row, Leeds, LS1 5JL.
Surveys
To understand more about the local environment, and to inform the environmental impact assessment, we need to carry out surveys. These will be on land within the corridor, on some adjoining land, and areas that may be identified through consultation feedback as potentially sensitive.
These surveys are to assess the landscape, ecology and cultural heritage aspects of the area, to inform further detailed environmental assessments. All survey information gathered will be published either as part of our preliminary environmental information report at our next stage of consultation or to support our application for a development consent order.
Ongoing surveys
Below is a list of our ongoing and upcoming surveys. If for any reason a survey cannot take place on the scheduled date, such as poor weather conditions, we will endeavour to reschedule the survey in a timely manner.
Access to land plots are agreed before any surveys may take place. If you are a landowner and have questions about the surveys on your land, please visit the landowners page for more information.
| Date | Survey | Locations | Description |
January 2025 onwards
| Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | Undertaken by pairs of surveyors. The survey consists of accessing land by foot and using a hand auger to take a soil sample down to describe the soils. A small number of soil pits will be dug using a spade to assess some of the topsoil characteristics in representative soil types. All materials exposed are then returned to the hole immediately following description of the profile.
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January 2025 onwards
| Ecology UK Hab walkover surveys
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | Undertaken by pairs of surveyors. The survey is an initial assessment of the ecological features present, or potentially present within a specified area. It includes the mapping the habitat types present and recording condition of habitats present. It also assesses the suitability of habitats for protected or priority species and records sightings of invasive non-native plant and animal species.
|
January to April 2025
| Landscape Survey (winter)
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | A pair of surveyors will undertake walkovers to verify the landscape characteristics, key visual receptors and seek to identify preliminary viewpoint locations for photography.
|
February to June 2025
| Groundwater Water Feature Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | Non-intrusive private supply survey. To ground truth desk study data in relation to the use and reliance on groundwater abstractions by landowners. Requires pre-arranged access to third party land and comprises interviews with owners to gather data on the nature of the water source and establish if scheme will bisect private distribution systems. The number and location of survey points is not known at this time, but it is envisaged that the primary focus of this survey will be within the northern sections of the route (due to geological factors favouring the use of groundwater in this area). Some of these locations may be public supply boreholes. Surveys will be undertaken by a pair of surveyors.
|
January 2025 onwards
| River Condition Assessment and Ditch Assessment
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | A pair of surveyors will walk the length of a watercourse, drains and ditches, to gather information on the characteristics of the watercourse/drain/ditch to inform a condition assessment.
|
January 2025 onwards
| Hedgerow Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | A pair of surveyors will undertake a detailed hedgerow survey via walkover to establish character and condition of the hedgerows in the area.
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January 2025 onwards
| Badger Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | A pair of surveyors will undertake a detailed walkover survey via walkover to identify field signs of badger and identify the presence of badger setts.
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January 2025 onwards
| Breeding, On-Passage and Wintering Bird Surveys
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | During on-passage bird survey, undertaken between February and April 2025 (spring passage) and September and October 2025 (autumn passage), two surveyors will look for any on-passage birds; all calls and behaviour will be recorded. These will include foreshore and field counts. During wintering bird surveys, undertaken between October 2025 and March 2026 inclusive, two surveyors will look for any wintering birds; all calls and behaviour will be recorded. These will include foreshore and field counts. Surveys will be undertaken by pairs of surveyors.
|
January 2025 onwards
| Intertidal Bird Surveys
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey
| A pair of surveyors will conduct walked transects or stationary vantage point surveys along the coastline to spatial distribution and activity information of waders and wildfowl on the intertidal shorelines and sea surface. Information will be collected on Ordnance Survey maps or digital devices.
|
January 2025 onwards
| Otter and Water Vole Surveys
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | A pair of surveyors will undertake targeted field surveys for potential otter breeding sites and resting places and bankside and in-channel searches for water voles. Subsequent monitoring may be required. This may comprise walkover surveys, boat-based surveys and/or deploying cameras for remote wildlife monitoring. Field signs recorded include the presence of latrines, burrows, runs, footprints, feeding remains, dropping and sightings.
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January 2025 onwards
| Great Crested Newt (GCN) – Habitat Suitability
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | A pair of surveyors will undertake a visual inspection of waterbodies to assess the suitability (such as geographical location, presence of other ponds nearby, presence of fish, presence of waterfowl) to support great crested newts.
|
January 2025 onwards
| Bat – preliminary roost suitability surveys
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | Undertaken by a pair of surveyors. Ground level assessment of trees to assess for their suitability to support roosting bats.
|
January 2025 onwards
| Bat roost and activity surveys
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | Targeted surveys to establish the presence/likely absence of roosting bats associated with trees and structures will be carried out. Surveys to record foraging and commuting activity across the survey area, which may include in the field night-time walkover or stationary point surveys and/or deployment of static detectors.
|
January 2025 onwards
| Environmental Walkover Surveys
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk Cambridgeshire - Fenland | A pair of surveyors will walk the land parcel looking at the nature of the land and the features within it. The surveyors will records information on a digital device or Ordnance Survey maps and may take photos to support the recorded information.
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January 2025 onwards
| Drone Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | Aerial/drone survey in which topographical data is to obtained to enable understanding of existing ground profile. Drones are also be used to collect ecological information, for example as part of the habitat surveys to record the habitats present and notably verify the presence of arable farmland.
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January 2025 onwards
| Traffic Surveys - Link and junction counts
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | Traffic surveys to record the number, classification and speed of vehicles travelling/crossing a particular point on a road and to record the number and classification of vehicle passing through a junction. The counts from these surveys will inform a baseline study to establish the speed and movements on route and the capacity of a junction and the likely level of impact.
|
January 2025 onwards
| Geophysical Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland
| Non-intrusive surveys to detect and map contrasts between buried archaeological remains and the surrounding soil. The geophysical survey will be carried out using a handheld cart or All-Terrian Vehicle (ATV) and will require the use of a standard gradiometer, which will identify buried anomalies of potential archaeological origin at specified locations.
|
January to April 2025
| Intrusive Ground Investigation
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk
| Intrusive ground investigation comprising exploratory holes of various types including boreholes, trial pits, window samples, cone penetration tests and dynamic cone penetrometer tests. In-situ testing and sampling will be carried out as the holes are progressed. Monitoring standpipes will be installed in selected exploratory holes on completion. Associated activities will include the laying of track way along access routes to exploratory hole locations and removal on completion. Possible filling of ruts/ pot holes along existing access routes where required and agreed with landowner in advance.
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January to April 2025
| Non-Intrusive Ground Investigation
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | Non-intrusive geophysical surveys (electrical resistivity tomography and vertical electrical sounding - ERT & VES, multichannel analysis of surface waves - MASW, PAS 128 Ground Penetrating Radar - GPR clearance surveys) and pre and post condition surveys. These methods involve a team of 2 to 4 people undertaking surveys along a line/ several lines for ERT/ VES and MASW or within a plan area of 5x5m or 7x7m centred on an exploratory hole location for the GPR. The pre and post condition surveys involve taking photographs and making notes. All surveys will be predominantly carried out on foot with vehicles parked on existing access tracks. In the case of MASW, 4x4 access along the survey lines will be required which will be on track way.
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January to March 2025
| Topographical Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | Topographical surveys will be carried out by a small team using GPS survey equipment, including a base unit and a GPS staff to record the land features and topography. The topo surveyor will walkover the area on a grid at regular intervals, recording the ground elevation and key features using the GPS staff. The surveyor will walkover the area site and survey a number of cross sections to define river channel / bank dimensions and record the dimensions of any hydraulic structures e.g. culverts, bridges and floodplain features e.g. crest levels of any embankments, defences, that influence river and floodplain flows in the area of interest. At all main river crossings a cross section, defining the river bed and its banks would be surveyed.
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January to March 2025
| Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | The ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey is a utility detection and mapping survey carried out by a small team. A number of techniques will be used to locate above ground and below ground utilities. Following study of utility plans, the GPR surveyor will trace known utilities across the site using a GPR device and a cable avoidance tool (CAT) with a small signal generator. The surveyor will use surface features such as drain covers, manholes and surface scarring to map the utilities. He will work with the topo surveyor to record the location coordinates of the utilities. The GPR is a device on wheels that is slowly pushed across the ground, to records features within the ground. The GPR device requires short vegetation/ relatively level ground to operate. It cannot be used in vegetation/ crops/ standing water etc.
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January to March 2025
| Bathymetry Survey
| Lincolnshire – East Lindsey, Boston, South Holland Norfolk – King's Lynn and West Norfolk | A Bathymetry Survey of larger water courses / rivers will be carried out by a small team using some form of vessel (typically remote control hydro drone) to use sonar to produce a ground profile of the bottom of the water course. The Surveyor will need to find suitable access point to the water course to launch the vessel and drive it toward the survey area.
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If you have any questions, please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] or calling us on 0800 298 0405.
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