GRIDLINEAutumn 2019 The magazine for landowners Inside Wombling free… the charity keeping London’s countryside alive An open mind to open water swimmers The grantor making a living out of hiding from wildlife WIN A two-night getaway for two Mind the The former City banker who quit the daily SquashTube crush to pursue a passion for pumpkins 08 06 Put a face to the name… 1 Some useful REGIONAL GRANTOR 2 ASSISTANTS 3 contact numbers 1 Caroline Suttling, South 2 Lauren Munro, East and Scotland The Land & Acquisition Services team are responsible for acquiring all rights and permissions from statutory 3 Becky Kearsley, West and Wales authorities and landowners needed to install, operate and maintain National Grid’s electricity and gas transmission networks. The group acts as the main interface for landowners with gas and electricity equipment installed CENTRAL COMMUNITY on their land. Your local contacts are listed below. 6 RELATIONS TEAM ELECTRICITY AND GAS 5 4 Ellie Laycock » Land teams – all regions 0800 389 5113 4 5 Jackie Wilkie 6 George Barnes First of all, a big thank you to everyone WAYLEAVE PAYMENTS 7 Thippapha Montorano whoWelcome… completed the feedback survey in » For information on electricity wayleave payments, 10 8 Palvinder Kalsi the last edition of Gridline. telephone the payments helpline on 0800 389 5113 8 04 9 9 Nicky Boucher We gained invaluable information about what EASEMENT ENQUIRIES 10 Deena Wood you think of the magazine and were delighted 7 » Email box.electricityeasements@ that around 90% of you felt it made you more nationalgrid.com aware of National Grid’s role and aims, and CHANGE OF DETAILS CONTENTS 18 80% felt part of a wider grantor community because of the stories we’ve featured. » To inform National Grid of changes in ownership NEWS AND FEATURES or contact details, telephone 0800 389 5113 for You’ll have already noticed in the names listed How to contact National Grid 04 The latest news updates from the world electric and 01926 654844 for gas, or email opposite that we have a team of colleagues [email protected] of National Grid if you are a grantor dedicated to looking after the needs of the 05 ELECTRICITY EMERGENCY Keep your land safe and secure by landowners we work closely with. We do this to » Emergency calls to report pylon damage Land officers provide a day-to-day point of contact working with Land Officers make sure the assets on their land are protected to National Grid can be made on 0800 404090. for National Grid grantors. You can also contact 06 How to play your part by tapping into a so that a safe and reliable electricity service can Note the tower’s number – found just below them if you have any questions about compensation, windfall that’s helping to improve the be delivered to millions of UK families. the property plate – to help crews locate it reinstatement, maintenance or refurbishment plans British countryside One of my main roles is to build strong ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS in your area – the team will be happy to help. 08 “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried relationships with both grantors and the wider » For information on electric and magnetic fields, it” – the grantors diving in to community to ensure we work as partners, call the EMF information line on 08457 023270 If you have any queries, please telephone support open water swimming and long may that continue. The very fact that (local call rate). Website: emfs.info 0800 389 5113 and select from the four options below. all the grantors approached by Gridline want to 11 The grantor carving a niche in the GAS EMERGENCY appear in the magazine says a great deal. ghoulish Halloween high jinks market 18 The perfectionist grantor cornering the » 0800 111 999 In this edition we’ve been to the home of the down on the pumpkin farm market by making w ildlife watching easy OPTION 1 Electricity wayleave OPTION 3 East and Wombles – Wimbledon Common – to find out 14 DIAL BEFORE YOU DIG payments and change Scotland The team upholding the legacy of 20 WIN: A relaxing two-night stay at about the work that goes on behind the scenes to »Before carrying out any work in the vicinity of gas of name/address/ an ancient act… and keeping the one of the UK’s beautiful array of encourage biodiversity, we’ve dipped a toe in the pipelines, overhead power lines or underground electric ownership of land spirit of the Wombles alive National Parks world of open water swimming and met the cables, you should contact Plant Protection on 0800 688588 so that searches can be made to grantor running perhaps the largest bird hide determine the exact position of any National Grid assets OPTION 2 West and Wales OPTION 4 South business in the world. On a more topical note, we visited the farmer QUESTIONS who decided to sell his land but kept his hand in For questions about our power cables or other assets » 14 by diversifying into the slightly more spooky contact the Plant Protection Team. Cadent provide LUMP SUM PAYMENT FOR CONVERTING WAYLEAVES TO EASEMENTS first line support for our assets –0800 688 588 – market of pumpkin growing. [email protected] Many of National Grid’s grantors currently receive annual payments in line with their There’s also an invitation for grantors living wayleave agreement and the rates set by the NFU and CLA. But did you know you can near Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and convert the wayleave into an easement and receive a one-off capital payment instead? National Parks to have their say in winning National Grid encourage you to seek professional advice from a qualified chartered surveyor grants to enhance the landscape for future Gridline is produced by or agricultural valuer. National Grid will pay reasonable agent’s fees in accordance with its generations to come. published Surveyor’s Fee scale together with solicitor’s fees, upon completion of the easement. As always, thanks for being a part of the Victoria Court, 8 Dormer Place, So there should be no need to pay an agent any of the payment rightly due to you. grantor stakeholder family and enjoy the read. Leamington Spa, Warwickshire If this is of interest to you or you wish to find out more about easements and the payment CV32 5AE which you could receive then please contact us directly or through a qualified agent at Joe Martin Compliance Manager, Land & Acquisitions [email protected] 02 AUTUMN 2019 GRIDLINE GRIDLINE AUTUMN 2019 03 Safe and secure The strongest link set to help millions KNOW THE LIE A 472-mile link between the UK and NEWSLINE Denmark to enable the sharing of renewable OF LAND energy is scheduled to be completed by 2023. The latest news from National Grid and its landowner partners YOUR The Viking Link will have the capacity to power one and a half million UK homes and is a joint project between National Grid Ventures, part of National Grid, and Danish lmost every region of the UK has Land Officers and Land Agents are there to work A FEW KEY POINTS system operator Energinet. experienced a rise in rural crime. with them prior to working on their land, but also TO REMEMBER: The 1.4 GW high voltage direct current A It’s a blight that cost the nation almost sometimes in an emergency.” w Land Officers and AgentsWILL interconnector, which will be the longest in the £50 million last year and one that affects not only The majority of work National Grid carries out NOT always be in National Grid world when completed, will stretch from the landowners through loss of livestock and equipment, is planned, when teams will contact grantors in liveried vehicles Lincolnshire coast to Western Denmark. but also National Grid substations, cables and pylons. advance to inform them about the need for Industrial manufacturing company Siemens “That’s why working together with our grantors to maintenance or replacing pylon fittings and cables. w They WILL always have official will be supplying and installing equipment for ensure security and safety is a major priority that Surveyor Rob Govier says: “That might mean a National Grid identification and a two converter station sites in Lincolnshire, UK forms one of the most significant factors in the way letter or personal visit in advance, but whenever our National Grid lanyard and Revsing, Denmark. we operate,” says Tim Skuse. teams arrive to discuss work needed on your land, The Regional Land Manager South, whose patch always ask for ID. Don’t be shy. They’ll be expecting w If you’re STILL IN DOUBT, call the covers a swathe of southern England from Cornwall you to check and will thank you for doing so.” number that relates to your area on Energy revolution to Norfolk, is keen to stress the partnership that exists The personal approach whenever more complex page 2 and we’ll check if planned or Britain is set to achieve an historic between grantors and National Grid’s teams. work is needed is in place to help National Grid’s emergency work is scheduled milestone this year, with more electricity being His plea follows a handful of reports of people engineers overcome any issues they may face on generated from zero carbon sources spotted without identification on grantor land. grantors’ land and to reassure grantors. than fossil fuels for the first time since the He adds: “Our grantors are our eyes and ears and Tim adds: “We will need to discuss the access we Industrial Revolution.