Representation by Mary Gooderham
- Date submitted
- 26 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
No objections to the principle of wind powered energy and I agree with all the objections made by Friston Parish Council and Suffolk County Council, but the site of onshore infrastructure must take account of: A. Impact on people’s lives: Development is far too close to residential buildings. Noise pollution from cooling fans and harmonic filters is unacceptable - 3 times greater than eg the Bramfield site. Visual impact - too close to village ignoring National Guidelines - 18 metres high - low impact designs are available eg Rampton, East Sussex where little is above 8 metres high. Mitigation measures are totally inadequate. Light pollution - dark sky area - impact of security lighting on people and wildlife very disturbing. Employment - large tourist area - people come for quiet and countryside (not an industrial area) will be loss of jobs and change in the atmosphere of local towns. Very few jobs will be created at the substation after construction is finished. B. Increased traffic movements: Not just during construction period on roads which are narrow and winding with passing places, even the A12 is mainly single carriageway in the area. Not suitable for HGVs and heavy machinery in great numbers. Major road works will be needed. C. Landscape changes - which cannot be adequately mitigated against. Flooding - highly productive agricultural land will be concreted over thus increasing flood risk from run off, where there are already problems of inadequate drainage in the village. Eg in Oct 2019 the roads in the village became rives. Two weeks later the same happened again. Footpaths - f/p6 running from the village church to Little Moor Farm, a favourite path for dog walkers and tourists to be closed, diversion will be along Grove Road (narrow and winding road with no footpath, not even a level verge in places) - very unsafe for walkers especially with children or dogs This site selection is flawed in many ways - a brown field site would be preferable, especially as there are plans in the wings to develop Sizewell C on the coast, Nautilus and Eurolink coming ashore in the area and the further expansion of Galloper and Greater Gabbard wind farms. It is surely National Grids responsibility to co-ordinate all these developments and integrate them where they will create least disruption, not dig up large tracts of prime agricultural land to provide cabling routes and devastate the lives of people living in Friston when it is not necessary