Representation by Graham Noye
- Date submitted
- 26 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I totally object to this project due to the catastrophic damage it will cause to such a beautiful area of outstanding natural beauty and to the impact on the local community in many ways - to name a few, damage to health from pollution, noise, carbon emissions, etc; traffic pollution and congestion making daily life difficult; damaging effects of the works to the local protected habitats, with resultant flood risks; the unacceptable removal of public rights of way. There will also be catastrophic damage to the tourism trade in the area, directly affecting evèry aspect of this extremely vital part of the local economy - restaurants, accommodation, shops, service businesses, entertainment venues, etc, etc. The proposed structures at Friston, with a substation reportedly the size of Wembley Stadium will totally dominate the small village, making life untenable for the residents of that rural area. In Thorpeness, the proposed cable landing site of the already unstable cliff-top area is total madness. These cliffs have been rapidly eroding over recent years and there has been one fatality due to a cliff fall. Any drilling of this area will surely cause further instability and for these two separate projects to target this area, possibly a number of years apart, is just crazy. This project would then force around 11km of trenches and cable through an environmentally sensitive area, with the resultant disturbance to wildlife and the important Sandlings Heath and must surely be stopped. This is a vital area to many migrating birds and other species which pass through it and rely upon it each season. The Suffolk Coast and Heaths is at its thinnest at the project area and these works would effectively create a barrier to many migrating species. The local road network in such a rural area is totally unsuitable for such a project. Many of these roads and the infrastructure supporting them (drainage, etc) have not been upgraded for the last 50 years. The high traffic levels of these projects would result it traffic chaos. Many of the roads are not wide enough to allow lorries to pass each other or, for instance, a touring caravan visiting the area - indeed, at one consultation it was stated that some roads would only be open to the construction traffic during peak times and locals would be traffic controlled. How can that possibly be deeemed acceptable for either the local population or tourist visitors? Those who have to get to work, hospital, school, etc; those who deliver to local businesses will all be disrupted, and not for a couple of weeks for emergency works, but for many years. Suffolk is famous for its endless dark skies. During this project (I understand for 5-8 years) these skies will be totally lost. At the same time the noise pollution from this project - from endless traffic, construction work, etc - will have a huge impact on the lives of local people, who currently live in a rural, peaceful, clean air environment. The make up of the soil in this area, is light and sandy. Therefore, huge amounts of heavy vehicles and large scale construction will cause the sand to blow around (and, being a coastal area, Suffolk is very prone to wind most days) this will have a health and environmental impact. There are so many aspects of these projects which will adversely impact the lives of local residents, visitors and wildlife that are impossible to predict or quantify that these projects must surely be stopped before it is too late for all and everything concerned. The cumulative impact on local communities of several energy projects taking place together or in sequence is simply unacceptable in a rural area which relies on tourism for so much of its employment and wealth. Visitors come to this area of Suffolk for the peace and tranquility of being away from a major city for which this area of the Heritage Coast is renowned. Both locals and visitors can currently enjoy vast areas of open space on foot, bicycle, horse, etc. These projects will result in the closure, bith temporary and permanent of many Public Rights of Way. Those not permanently removed, will remain closed for an extended period of 5-8 years, thereby severely restricting the ability of the locals and visitors to access open spaces.