Representation by Will Horton-Fawkes
- Date submitted
- 20 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Scottish Power EA1N Proposal We support the representations of SASES and Friston Parish Council And I object to:- Future expansion beyond the current proposal and timings of work i.e. ongoing consecutive construction rather than concurrent construction, which would increase disruptive construction time considerably. Risk that if approved, the area will become a power hub and ongoing construction will therefore become semi-permanent. The highly detrimental impact on the edge of our AONB, our heritage landscape, - footpaths, woodland, country roads. Permanent noise pollution in peaceful rural site & effect on human & wildlife health - 'tonality' correction should be imperative Permanent light pollution in area with low existing light levels - effect on humans & wildlife (insect numbers already in steep decline), particularly during 24hr construction period, Friston is free of street lighting and there are no large towns nearby Impact on movement of humans and wildlife once corridors (footpaths, hedgerows)are destroyed Effect on tourism and jobs - of high significance in the area, including world renowned cultural sites e.g. Snape Major disruption to road network during construction and consequent increased use of narrow country roads adding to air & noise pollution & risks to pedestrians, cyclists, livestock .Design of substation. It must be 'low impact' following best practice & given sensitivity of site and inherent ugliness of substations. Not 18/21m high as in proposal Planting to screen the site should be at start and not end of construction and be compatible with existing landscape i.e. large deciduous trees such as oak Replacement of wildlife habitat should exceed what is removed given the environmental impact Forecast timings for alteration of road junctions seems inadequate and wildly optimistic e.g. Changes to A12/A1094 completed in 3 weeks! During the tourist season, March-Nov, there will be major disruption and there are no alternative routes north-south or to Snape/Aldeburgh, so small roads will be used not suitable for heavy traffic There is no long term cohesive assessment of future traffic movements and flows No on-going jobs once construction complete and likelihood of local jobs being put at risk due to downturn in tourism (DMO report) Inadequate proposed measures so far to deal with surface water flooding risk, which will impact farmland viability, nearby listed buildings and the village of Friston Harmful potential of setting a precedent for construction on the edge of AONBs Also harmful potential of precedent for second class construction and second class or non-existent mitigation in sensitive rural sites that are currently well adapted to human and wildlife co-habitation A new footpath map should be devised for all those links that are broken by the construction and each new footpath ought to be planted to provide access to humans and refuge and habitat to wildlife A vulnerable coastline risks being damaged at Thorpeness where the cables come on shore The cable corridor (9km long), will not only be destructive of habitat and disruptive to residential properties, but will also set a precedent for future cable corridors - hence the importance of a quality impact reduction plan and mitigation/reinstatement plan Local businesses and property owners will have to endure the inconvenience and will see a downturn in the value of their properties, possibly causing an exodus and loss of revenue to the area