Representation by David Bizzell
- Date submitted
- 26 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I support the representations being made by SASES and Friston Parish Council in opposition to the siting of the two sub stations at Friston. Both proposed substations are not designed for this location. They are ideas used elsewhere which are being made to fit into this landscape. There are also other projects proposed for this area as well. Sizewell C, the National Grid Ventures Interconnectors Nautilus and Eurolink and planned expansion of the windfarms Galloper and Greater Gabbard. These will bring severe landscape and visual harm which cannot be mitigated. A whole area of tranquil, open and deeply rural countryside will be lost. SPR have provided highly questionable assumptions of mitigation planting. The area has a high heritage value ringed by five grade II and two grade II* listed buildings. The visualisations/viewpoints are totally misleading. The landscape mitigation does very little to mitigate heritage impact. I am very worried by the noise generated by the super-grid transformers and the cooling fans. We should not have to put up with that inside or outside of our homes. We know that the noise screening is to be removed from the latest proposal. No one has provided accurate assessment as to how this will be heard in audible terms. I demand that no noise is generated and that tests are carried out to ensure this is adhered to. Owning a property in Low Road, we are constantly under threat of flooding from surface water from the fields (we have submitted photos). These developments will increase the risk to us severely. SPR are aware of this but have failed to demonstrate how this will be mitigated. With flooding generally on the increase the last thing we need is a structure which is going to exacerbate the problem. No assessment of the adequacy of the Friston watercourse has been undertaken. SPR clearly state there is an increase in flood risk and sediment mobilisation due to the development. They have not demonstrated that they can alleviate or mitigate this risk. Then there is the total closure of FP6 footpath running to Littlemoor Farm and the temporary closure of 26 other footpaths that we use on a regular basis. FP6 is the historic border between the villages of Knodishall and Friston. The implications of the chaos caused by the traffic and transport caused during construction is also a major worry. The infrastructure in this rural area cannot support this kind of project. There will be no monitoring of traffic flows and speed. Drivers will seek alternative routes creating rat runs, there will be an impact on access and timings for emergency vehicles serving an elderly population. There will need to be protection for walkers and cyclists. There is also the concern of how all this disruption will affect the Sizewell Evacuation plan which is crucial to the area in the event of an emergency. The cable route from the fragile coast at Thorpeness to Friston is going to cause permanent damage to wildlife, which will never recover.