Representation by Michelle Kelly
- Date submitted
- 16 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The villages of Friston, Knodishall Leiston, Aldringham and Thorpeness are all quiet welcoming little places that people retire to, bringing money into the area. This development is likely to drive people away, impoverishing the area. All these villages and those beyond within a 30 mile radius, all rely on tourism to survive. That will be killed stone dead by this development- again impoverishing the area. The Substations at Friston are too tall, take up too much space, the access roads will damage the countryside, bring noise, pollution and greater potential for cyclists and children to get hit, the amount of traffic will impact negatively on our area. The substations will damage out area. Once something like this is built it is here to stay- and the countryside cannot return to what it was. We are told that the widening of the roads, and the building of the power substations (and all the other delightful electrical stations) will bring jobs. However new villages are being built to house new workers- you are clearly bringing in people from the outside- the locals will not get the jobs as they are not qualified. You know this to be the case otherwise you would not be building new villages temporary housing sites for workers. Please do not misrepresent things. There may be unskilled jobs for locals, then when it is all finished they will be unemployed. the workers that will have been brought in will go after a number of years, and then income reliant on their spending power will no longer be there- the locals will have had their country side ruined, their income from tourism and retirees ruined and will be considerably worse off that they were before. This is not going to bring sustainable prosperity to our area, as it will drive tourism away it will impoverish it. Many of the areas in this part of Suffolk Coastal are Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I would like to see a professional report on the impact your develop will have to our local wildlife. Areas categorised as AONB should be protected, free of unwanted development, free of noise, free of polluting traffic. Even if there is no building directly on these areas, any development nearby, that produces noise and pollution will affect both flora and fauna- wildlife will suffer. I work in a number of local schools, I know that most locals get by through seasonal tourism and the wealth that retirees bring in from the outside. I also know the severe poverty of both wealth and aspiration that a solid proportion of children (and therefore their families) suffer. This development will tip many of our neighbours over the edge, and those who can will move away, taking their spending power with them. Your energy project is one of 7 projected for this area. Suffolk Coastal will lose is character, will no longer attract tourists, no longer thrive if these go ahead. We need wind power- but not at any price. Lets get every aspect of it right so that is doesn’t get a bad name.