Residents along the Suffolk and Essex border will be able to have their say on controversial plans to route pylons through their communities after the Government agreed to hold a review, a meeting heard.
A 150-strong turnout at the meeting arranged by campaign group Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons heard local MPs Bernard Jenkin and James Cartlidge describe what the review, initiated by National Grid's Electricity System Operator (ESO), will involve.
Communities along the 110 mile stretch where the pylons have been proposed will be able to shape what they want the review to achieve, which was described as 'amazing news' by the campaign group's head Rosie Pearson.
Mr Cartlidge, who represents South Suffolk, announced on Thursday, hours before the campaigners' meeting at Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, that the Government had done a U-turn after initially refusing a review.
READ MORE: Suffolk: Pylon communities will be 'taken into account'
He said part of the review's remit would be to look at alternatives to the pylons, which could include 'offshore routes' with power lines buried in the sea bed rather than crossing the countryside.
Mrs Pearson said: "The biggest take-away from the meeting was that communities will be involved in the ESO review and will be able to have input in terms of what they want the review to achieve.
"If that’s really the case, that is amazing news and exactly what is needed."
The pylons are set to support power lines carrying electricity from wind farms off the East Anglia coast and will line a route running through Suffolk and into Essex past Dedham and Langham and crossing the A12 to connect into the East Anglian Connection substation in Tendring.
READ MORE: Suffolk Essex pylons: Campaigners' delight at review U-turn
Following the U-turn announcement, MPs representing constituencies along the route said that greater energy reliability and security should not come at the expense of the countryside.
READ MORE: Suffolk news
The meeting also heard from a variety of other speakers, including Simon Morrish, chief executive of the company Xlinks, about a project to bring wind and solar power from Morocco to the UK and former MP Derek Wyatt about offshore grids in Denmark.
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