STOP AQUIND
For several years, I have led the campaign to stop the AQUIND Interconnector because it was clear from the outset that this project would have caused enormous disruption to communities across Fareham, Waterlooville, Portchester and the wider Portsmouth area. Residents would have faced years of roadworks, trenching through densely populated neighbourhoods, environmental damage to green spaces and no meaningful local benefit in return. The lack of transparency around the project’s ownership and funding only deepened concerns. The project would run directly under Portsmouth Naval Base's training sites and into the channel, which makes it even more concerning that its prominent backers have deep ties to Russia. Our security must be paramount, especially given Russian naval provocations in our waters in recent years. From the beginning, I made it clear that AQUIND was the wrong project in the wrong place, and that our community should not be expected to shoulder the burden of a private company’s infrastructure ambitions.
I have opposed AQUIND at every stage. I submitted a formal objection to the Planning Inspectorate, setting out in detail the environmental, logistical and community harms the scheme would cause. I met repeatedly with Ministers, and senior officials responsible for the Development Consent Order, pressing the case that the project should be rejected. In Parliament, I raised AQUIND through written and oral questions, debates on energy infrastructure and planning, and interventions calling for greater transparency around the company’s ownership and political donations. I worked closely with residents, campaign groups, councillors and local authorities, attending public meetings, providing briefings and ensuring that the voices of local people were heard clearly in Westminster and Whitehall.
When the Government refused AQUIND’s Development Consent Order, I welcomed the decision and continued to support efforts to defend it. When the company launched a judicial review to overturn the refusal, I reaffirmed my opposition, engaged with Ministers to ensure the Government robustly defended its position, and kept residents updated throughout the legal process. Even after the refusal, I have continued to monitor AQUIND’s activities closely and remain vigilant to any attempt to revive or reconfigure the project in a way that would once again threaten our area.
My position has never changed. AQUIND would have caused unacceptable disruption to our community, and I will continue to oppose any future attempt to resurrect the project. I remain committed to standing with residents, challenging any renewed proposals, demanding transparency and protecting our environment, roads, neighbourhoods and national security from unnecessary harm.