Empowering Nature is Saxmundham’s ambitious and inspiring response to the Sea Link energy infrastructure proposals — but where did it come from? This article tells the story of how the idea began, who helped shape it, and why it has captured so much attention, both locally and beyond.
From a Single Question to a Shared Vision
The spark behind Empowering Nature can be traced back to 2021, during a meeting between National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) and councillors from Theberton and Eastbridge Parish Council. At the time, NGET was exploring the idea of placing a converter station next to Theberton Wood. When local councillor Laura Bonnett asked, “How does this benefit my community?” the response from NGET was blunt: “Well it doesn’t, it benefits the nation.”
That moment stayed with Laura, who later became one of the co-authors of Empowering Nature – Our Vision for a Greener Future for the Fromus Communities alongside Saxmundham Town Council’s Environment Coordinator, Amy Rayner. The two began working together in late 2023, shortly after local energy projects campaigner, Paul Collins of Stop Sizewell C, addressed the Town Council’s Fromus Energy Project Team. Drawing on his experience from the Sizewell C planning hearings, he urged the group to act early and define what the community wanted — before hearings began and while there was still time to influence outcomes. “Don’t leave it too late or the applicant won’t be obliged to deliver community benefits,” he warned.
A Document Takes Shape
With that advice ringing in their ears, Laura and Amy began drafting what was initially titled Environmental Excellence: A New Era for Saxmundham. Their aim was to respond constructively to NGET’s Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR), particularly the sections on water, habitats, and ecology. They brought their early ideas to the Fromus Energy Project Team — a group of town councillors, campaigners, and community representatives — for discussion and feedback.
The concept was well received. In January 2024, Saxmundham Town Council formally endorsed the proposal in public session, recognising its alignment with the wider vision laid out in Dr Andy Tickle’s Greening the Great Grid Upgrade report.
Community Collaboration and Creative Support
From there, momentum grew. Residents, community groups, local businesses, and even those who were previously unaware or indifferent to the Sea Link proposal began engaging with the ideas. What drew them in? In Laura and Amy’s concept offered an “ambitious and inspiringly positive challenge” to a development that many felt was being imposed without sufficient local benefit.
Crucially, the document didn’t just reject the proposal — it offered a vision. A green, place-based vision rooted in Saxmundham and the Fromus Valley, which said clearly: we expect more.
To help develop this vision further, Laura and Amy approached the Local Storytelling Exchange — a not-for-profit organisation that helps communities express their identity and aspirations through creative consultation and storytelling. The team at the Exchange kindly offered their support at no cost, helping to shape the narrative and strengthen the emotional and ecological themes of the paper.
They also worked with Suffolk-based illustrator Rhiannon Marshall, who volunteered her time for free to produce an artist’s impression of what a greener, healthier Saxmundham might look like if nature were truly prioritised. Her artwork helped bring the proposal to life and has featured prominently in media coverage. Town Council staff then worked hard to edit the text and professionally present the proposal, resulting in the final version now open for consultation.
A Different Kind of Protest
Empowering Nature is unusual because it combines resistance with imagination. It strongly opposes the siting of converter stations in this location, while also laying out what the community believes should happen if the proposals go ahead. It suggests that developers must be prepared to deliver real, measurable community and environmental benefits — not vague national promises.
“This is a country-based vision, and it’s rattling to desk-based city folk,” Laura remarked during her public speech at the Annual Town Meeting. “Their plans will cost the earth. But so does ours — in the best possible way.”
She added that Empowering Nature puts forward a rare, non-human-centric approach to planning. It places the needs of nature, ecosystems, and non-human life at the heart of the conversation. That, she believes, is why people are responding so positively.
A Call to Participate
Empowering Nature is not a final document. It is a proposal for consultation, and Saxmundham Town Council wants as many residents as possible to have their say. What do you value? What would you protect? What would you ask of the developer if this project cannot be stopped?
“This is our chance to shape a legacy,” says Amy. “To show that Saxmundham doesn’t just oppose — it leads.”
You can read the document and take part in the consultation by visiting the Town Council website or by completing the survey at:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/XRPZLVT
Please get involved. Empowering Nature is a community conversation, and your voice matters.
