Representation by Simon Stroud
- Date submitted
- 26 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
?I would like to declare my support for the representations of SASES and Friston Parish Council I strongly support wind power in principle, but not its implementation at overwhelming cost to the environment and society, when more thought and planning would avoid these costs through coordination of power projects and use of brownfield, coastal locations for necessary onshore infrastructure. My concerns relate more to the permanent impact of this project rather than to construction issues. More specifically: 1, The cumulative impact of Sizewell C, National Grid Ventures interconnections and the need for further connections due to the expansion of the Galloper and Gabbard wind farms - which are uncoordinated, 2, Blight on the ancient rural and landscape of Friston and all along the proposed cable corridors from the coast, at untold cost to both tourist and agricultural amenity, 3, Personal loss of use of footpaths and of visual enjoyment of the village I love, 4, Increased flood risk due to the position and scale of this project uphill from the village, when we already have frequent problems. The so-called mitigation of the many acres of concrete by new drainage ponds does not even compensate for the loss of existing field drainage. 5, Pollution: noise and light pollution changing the character of the village, plus questionable impact on air quality. 6, Heritage: The clash with and impact on local rural heritage, which includes numerous listed buildings around the village, and loss of agricultural land usage, 7, Proximity: The proposals and plans presented all play down the sheer proximity to the village population, which is in contrast to other power projects, much further from population. 8, Financial impacts: especially loss of equity to those who own property in the village, which would be substantially devalued. 9, Traffic impacts on Friston and other villages from maintenance and staffing of these sites, long after the construction period is finished. These can only be mitigated by permanently tarmacing even more countryside. 10,Inadequate review of the initial selection process by Scottish Power and the National Grid, resulting in the selection of a rural village several miles inland as a site for infrastructure for an off-shore power project! Thank you for considering the above. Yours faithfully, Simon Stroud