Land referencing work begins

Northern Gas Networks is beginning the next stage of early engagement for East Coast Hydrogen, with land and property specialists Dalcour Maclaren contacting people and organisations who may have an interest in land within the proposed pipeline route corridors.

We have appointed Dalcour Maclaren to provide land and property support for the project. The work will help identify and confirm landowners, occupiers, tenants and other parties with an interest in land or property within the emerging route corridors, so the project can engage with the correct people as the proposals develop.

East Coast Hydrogen is currently at an early stage of development. We are developing proposals for two underground hydrogen pipelines: a 39-mile Teesside pipeline from Newton Aycliffe to Skinningrove and a 68-mile Humber pipeline from Saltend towards Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire. The pipelines would connect planned hydrogen production and storage facilities with industrial and power generation sites.

Initial 300-metre-wide route corridors have been identified in both regions. These are areas within which the pipelines could potentially be located and will be refined and narrowed as design, planning, survey and environmental assessment work progresses.

Contacting people with land interests

As part of the land referencing process, Dalcour Maclaren will write to people and organisations who, based on initial HM Land Registry searches, may own, occupy or have another interest in land or property within the proposed route corridors.

The correspondence will include a Landowner Questionnaire and Land Ownership Plan. Recipients will be asked to check the information and provide details about relevant land interests. This will help ensure we keep the appropriate people informed and engage with them where future surveys or voluntary survey licence agreements may be required.

Receiving a letter does not mean that the land or property will necessarily be affected. A decision is yet to be made on the construction of the pipelines and progression beyond this stage would be subject to further regulatory, commercial and planning approvals. The current corridors are part of the feasibility work and will be narrowed as the project develops.

Anyone receiving a questionnaire is asked to complete it with as much information as possible and return it, together with any relevant changes to the accompanying plan, within 14 days of receiving the letter. The questionnaire can also be completed online using the link or QR code provided.

If you have any questions, please use the information on the contact page to get in touch. If you have a land interest along one of the routes shown on The Project page but have not received a letter from Dalcour Maclaren by 1st November please also get in touch.