PLANNING COMMENT FOR APPLICATION REF:  5/2025/2228

Planning Consents

UK Power Networks
Barton Road
Bury St Edmunds
IP32 7BG

UK Power Networks

Object to Proposal

We refer to the Planning Application for the above site.  

The proposed development is in close proximity to our substations and have the following observations to make: 

If the proposed works are located within 6m of the substation, then they are notifiable under the  

Party Wall etc. Act 1996. The Applicant should provide details of the proposed works and liaise  

with the Company to ensure that appropriate protective measures and mitigation solutions are  

agreed in accordance with the Act.  

The Applicant would need to be responsible for any costs  associated with any appropriate measures required.  

Any Party Wall Notice should be served on UK Power Networks at its registered office: UK Power Networks, Newington House, 237 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 6NP. 

Our engineering guidelines state that the distance between a dwelling of two or more stories  

with living or bedroom windows overlooking a distribution substation should be a minimum of  

ten metres if the transformer is outdoor, seven metres if the transformer has a GRP surround or  

one metre if the transformer is enclosed in a brick building.  

It is a recognised fact that transformers emit a low level hum which can cause annoyance to nearby properties.  

This noise is mainly airborne in origin and is more noticeable during the summer months when people tend to spend more time in their gardens and sleep with open windows. 

A problem can also occur when footings of buildings are too close to substation structures.  

Vibration from the transformer can be transmitted through the ground and into the walls of  

adjacent buildings. This, you can imagine, is very annoying, In practice there is little that can be done to alleviate these problems after the event.  

We therefore offer advice as follows: 

1. The distance between buildings and substations should be greater than seven metres or as  

far as is practically possible. 

2. Care should be taken to ensure that footings of new buildings are kept separated from  

substation structures. 

3. Buildings should be designed so that rooms of high occupancy, i.e. bedrooms and living  

rooms, do not overlook or have windows opening out over the substation. Minimum distance for  

this should be at least 10m. 

4. If noise attenuation methods are found to be necessary, we would expect to recover our costs  

from the developer. 

Other points to note: 

5. UK Power Networks require 24 hour vehicular access to their substations. Consideration for  

this should be taken during the design stage of the development. 

6. The development may have a detrimental impact on our rights of access to and from the  

substation. If in doubt please seek advice from our Property and Consents team at Barton Road,  

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7BG. 

7. No building materials should be left in a position where they might compromise the security  

of the substation or could be used as climbing aids to get over the substation surround. 

8. There are underground cables on the site associated with the substation and these run in  

close proximity to the proposed development. Prior to commencement of work accurate  

records should be obtained from our Plan Provision Department at UK Power Networks, Fore  

Hamlet, Ipswich, IP3 8AA. 

9. All works should be undertaken with due regard to Health & Safety Guidance notes HS(G)47  

Avoiding Danger from Underground services. This document is available from local HSE offices. 

Should any diversion works be necessary as a result of the development then enquiries should  

be made to our Customer Connections department. The address is UK Power Networks,  

Metropolitan house,. Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Herts, EN6 1AG