Representation by Mr Robin Frampton
- Date submitted
- 25 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I'm in favour of offshore wind power generation. I believe that the environmental impact of these projects should be minimized. In particular, the substations on land should be sited where they cause least harm. Of the seven substation zones originally proposed by Scottish Power, the current one at Friston would seem to bring the most destructive, being the furthest from where the energy will be generated. More land will need to be disrupted, hedgerows cut and trees removed, and wildlife disturbed, to get the pipe over to the west. The buildings will be massive and not at all sensitive to the surroundings - agricultural land and woodlands. They will bring noise and light pollution. However many young trees are planted to try and disguise the fact, they will not compensate for ancient trees and hedgerows that are lost. The three substations will be massive buildings on an industrial scale overshadowing a small Suffolk village which is rich in history - for example the church contains a carved coat of arms to James I, dated 1605; the village has the tallest post mill in England (moved from Woodbridge in 1812), and a local shopkeeper and Chartist Thomas Hearn organised large rallies for farmworkers in the village in the late-1830s. The proposal to build here in this historic and environmentally valuable site is inappropriate; a brown field site closer to where the energy hits land is needed. If it could be close to other energy-producing infrastructure, that would be an added bonus in that access to the sites, and security etc, could be shared. Green energy is needed, but the natural environment and people's wellbeing should not be destroyed in the process. Scottish Power needs to think again and present an environmentally-friendly, sustainable plan.