Representation by Carole Edwards
- Date submitted
- 16 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Firstly I wholly support and concur with the representations made to you by the following: SASES; The PCC of St Mary the Virgin, Friston (of which I am also Churchwarden) and by our Rector Mark Lowther. The basis of my representation concerns a number of areas of the proposal which I believe are deeply flawed. I like others am not objecting to the need for windfarms - indeed if an onshore windfarm were proposed this would be infinitely more acceptable. As a resident of the village of Friston, it is my belief that the proposed development is far too close to the Village and will blight the lives of all residents for the following reasons: Proximity - the latest plans, received unacceptably late, suggest that the development will now incorporate Church Road and will thus impinge on the sanctuary that is St Mary the Virgin - potentially reducing access to the Church which is a focal point for a village which does not have any other amenities apart from a pub. The Church is at the centre of village life for people who don't attend the church as congregation - giving as it does an annual round of events raising money for the upkeep of the Church (a grade 2* listed building with 11th century elements. Our many tourist visitors during the year most frequently cite the peace and tranquility of the Church and its Churchyard. This will be completely lost along with the majority of touristic income to Friston if the development goes ahead. This development will completely overwhelm the village of Friston and render it virtually uninhabitable. People - Friston is a small village - the wellbeing of its residents has already been severely affected by the proposals that SPR have put forward. The level of stress is obvious in daily life. There is immense concern about the loss and rerouting of public footpaths - around the site - which will not be peaceful or enjoyable as it will not be possible to ignore the enormous size of the site either from the village or on the footpaths. Ancient footpaths connecting our village with others in the area will be lost for ever. In addition, the long timeframes involved mean that for some people the impact on their mental health will be permanent and severe. Transport - our roads are small and winding with little space for cars to pass. The most recent item from SPR seems to be to purchase surrounding land and presumably widen Church Road - I do not see how this can be accomplished without denying access to the Church and, perhaps more importantly, bringing the development unacceptably close to the Church. I also note that SPR proposes to send HGVs via Farnham Road down to Aldeburgh there to turn left and go up the Leiston Road to reach the site. Whilst this, in itself, appears to be madness - unless they intend to purchase sites on both sides of the road at the roundabout in order to widen the Farnham Road into the town - there is also the question of smaller commercial vehicles using, for example, Mill Road in Friston. HGVs are one thing but there will be a range of 'smaller' lorries trying to use this route - which is a single track with no official passing places once in the village itself. Flooding - Friston is already subject to increasing flooding due to climate change. The proposal to concrete over vast areas of agricultural land to build the substations will be disastrous for our village, potentially increasing the cost of home insurance – or rendering it unobtainable. Wildlife and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty - whilst Friston does not sit directly in the AONB - it is on its border - the landscape doesn't change at the border. The development by SPR will be clearly visible for many miles around and will be an eyesore affecting not only the flora and fauna of our countryside - permanently decimating some species; it will also not be effectively mitigated by the current proposals from SPR for planting - either during construction or for many years afterwards. With the sheer volume of uncoordinated energy development being imposed on East Anglia as a whole, it is clear that SPR have not consulted effectively with other suppliers - for example EDF - who intend to build another nuclear reactor at Sizewell. It is also not clear why SPR have chosen to develop a completely new route when there is more than adequate facilities already in place (with sufficient capacity) to connect at Bawdsey through to Bramford - nor why the proposed development has 18m high structures when it is clear that this is more than twice the size of similar developments by SPR in other parts of the country. The proposed developments just in our area of Suffolk (the SPR and EDF projects) will disrupt and damage lives for many years - given the lack of co-ordination or joint working by these two companies - this could last for around 10 years - with 'mitigation' inadequate though it may be taking another 15-20 years to have any impact at all. In short, I believe that SPR have not presented a compelling case for siting the substations at Friston - particularly now it is clear that the development will come directly into the Village itself.