Back to list East Anglia ONE North Offshore Windfarm

Representation by Paul Adrian Carlaw

Date submitted
14 January 2020
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses
  1. SUMMARY My objections as a resident of Friston and the heritage coast for over 20 years I oppose the onshore elements and support SASES and Friston Parish Council: - • noisy and visually intrusive substation complex; • new National Grid connection hub; • Inappropriate site selection; • flawed impact assessment. over 30 acres - 18m high, in a rural community next to the flood prone historic village of Friston together with: • 9km of cable route through an AONB; • impossible to mitigate onshore aspects of the project. 2. CUMULATIVE IMPACT - SPR have not addressed the impact of EA1N with 5 other major energy projects in the same area, Nautilus, Eurolink, Galloper, Greater Gabbard expansion and Sizewell C. 3. SITE SELECTION - The National Grid substation will be used for several projects 4. FLOOD RISK • SPR has not adequately assessed flood risk impact to Friston. • Flood issues cannot remain unresolved. 5. LAND USE • There is a significant loss of Grade 2 and 3 agricultural land, over 30 hectares. 6. ONSHORE ECOLOGY • The projects involve the loss of habitat for badgers, bats, owls, great crested newts, adders and other wildlife. 7. HERITAGE • impacts upon five Grade II and two Grade II* listed buildings. • visualisations do not include key views. • historic parish/hundred boundary over substation site. 8. NOISE • The Environmental Statement has many errors and omissions. • Noise levels unacceptable - rural environment with low night time noise level. • Working hours 6 days per week unacceptable destroying resident’s peaceful enjoyment. 9. TRAFFIC • A12 / A1094 junction is an accident blackspot - mitigation inadequate. • Impact to emergency vehicles. • only Heavy Goods Vehicles will be monitored. • pre-construction impacts on rural life in a village 100’s of years old. • roads are too narrow for construction. 10. HUMAN HEALTH • traffic and the noise, air, light pollution and disruption over 5/6 years even before the impact of other projects. • permanent loss of footpaths, tranquillity, landscape/heritage damage, noise and light pollution. • financial uncertainty. 11. LANDSCAPE • site selection impacts on landscape and visuals. • due to inappropriateness of location the substations would: • Sever the village which is open and rural. • Require an access road, 1.7km long and 8m wide; • Harm the setting of Friston Church (Grade II*); • Requires 9km long cable routes. Issues: - • planting cannot mitigate development • no visuals showing the scheme and Friston village together. • lack of detail e.g. the access road. • no viewpoints from the footpaths north of the site. 12. TOURISM, SOCIO ECONOMIC • Friston village holds fund raising events e.g. Open Gardens, Classics on the Green – tourists unlikely to visit if the village is destroyed by the onshore construction works and permanent industrialisation. • Financial compensation will never mitigate the impacts on Friston. 13. FOOTPATHS • the permanent closure of a well-used footpath leading north from the village of Friston. 14. SUBSTATION DESIGN • An independent designer to verify and consider a low impact design solution. • National Grid’s developments should be subject to the same design criteria as SPR. 15. LIGHT POLLUTION • There will be significant light pollution given the “dark skies” of a rural environment. • Construction 6 day working to 7pm and on occasion 7 day and 24 hour working. • No indication as to how frequently lighting will be needed for maintenance. 16. SAFETY • No risk assessment has been provided for the substations. • Gas Insulated switchgear is potentially harmful - potential leaks, no mitigation. • The safety and security of all residents unmitigated.