Representation by Monica Winter
- Date submitted
- 25 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object to the proposals made by Scottish Power Renewables (SPR) for the substations site in Friston. I support the representations made by SASES (Substation Action Save East Suffolk) and Friston Parish Council. My objections to the proposal include: • This is part of a wider pattern of energy-related construction in East Suffolk and no consideration has been made of the cumulative effect of all these projects on the local population and of the likely impact on tourism to the area. There are up to about five different projects planned and this is simply too much. • The Friston site chosen by SPR is too close to the village; indeed it is IN the village by definition, since the owners of some houses on the North side of the village facing the proposed site have been told their properties may be compulsorily purchased. These properties are only a few yards from Friston’s lovely church, which will be overshadowed by this hideous industrial complex. • The effect on the landscape will be significant and detrimental. The proposed mitigation measures will have little effect for many years and even then only from certain directions. • Construction at the site entails digging miles of trenches for the cables from the coast to Friston. This will cause massive local disruption, all at a time when Sizewell C and other projects may be also going ahead. By placing the substation on a brownfield site near the coast, almost all of this could be avoided. • Friston floods regularly - several times in the last few months - due to runoff from the fields. Concreting over such a massive area will make matters worse; SPR say they have taken this into account in their plans but no-one around here has any confidence in their plans. • The effects of the construction will likely entail years of noise, dust and light pollution for the residents of Friston. In the subsequent operation of the substations, SPR has made no guarantees that the substations will be inaudible in the nearby properties. If this can't be ensured, then the site is surely unsuitable. • Overall, this is a very large construction project that is simply too big and too close to the village. It should not be tolerated by any civilized society that truly cares for its fellow members.