Representation by Charles Read
- Date submitted
- 22 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I wish to object to the Scottish Power Renewables planning application for East Anglia One North on the following grounds: Cumulative Impacts The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 require, in Schedules 3 and 4, that the impacts of the project are considered in “..cumulation with other existing development and/or approved development”. Firstly the Applicant has failed to demonstrate the impacts in cumulation with their other application (East Anglia Two), and has kept these projects artificially separate to obfuscate the overall impacts from the two schemes. In addition, the Applicant has failed to consider other planned projects, such as National Grid’s plans for the Nautilus and Eurolink Interconnectors. Whether or not these applications have been made to the Planning Inspectorate, the plans for Nautilus and Eurolink are in the public domain and therefore constitute “Existing projects”. The Nautilus and Eurolink briefings identify potential cable landfalls, cross-country cable routes and substation locations as the EA1 and EA2N applications. The Briefing concludes “…the Leiston area compares more favourably than other connection options and forms the basis of the connection offers for the Nautilus and Eurolink projects”. The projects proposed by Scottish Power (EA1N, EA2) and National Grid Ventures include for the same infrastructure in the same area serving the same purposes. These projects need to be assessed for their impacts as whole, that is “in cumulation”, as required by Legislation. Given the importance of the projects to national infrastructure, and the impacts to the local area extending over a wide area for many years, I request that a Public Inquiry is held so that all matters can be considered and the correct solution reached. Examining the Scottish Power EA1N Application in isolation would be a failure of the Planning Inspectorate to comply correctly with existing Legislation. Impacts on Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The proposal from the applicant will have significant impacts in the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The applicant will claim that these impacts are not permanent, but there is no evidence for residual impacts or how long the area will take to recover from 12 to 15 years of heavy construction work. The purpose of an AONB designation is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the designated landscape. Secondary aims are meeting the need for quiet enjoyment of the countryside and having regard for the interests of those who live and work there. The Applicants proposals have a significant detrimental impacts on all the purposed of an AONB designation. Whether such impacts are justified, together with “cumulation” impacts from follow-on projects can only be fully considered through a Public Inquiry