Representation by Alde and Ore Association (Alde and Ore Association)
- Date submitted
- 27 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Response from the Alde and Ore Association (Registered Charity number 1154583) The Alde and Ore Association exists to protect for the public benefit the Alde, Ore and Butley rivers and their banks from Shingle Street to their tidal limits together with features of public interest. It has some 2000 members. The Association OBJECTS to the plans for bringing electric cables onshore from the Scottish Power Renewables windfarms:- a. FRAGILE CLIFF The proposed site for bringing the windfarm cables on shore hits what is recognised to be a dynamic and fragile coast at one of its most obviously fragile points. The cliff, which is geologically little more than a slightly hardened sand dune, lost over 20 feet in a single fall after battering by winter winds and a storm surge two years ago. Any tunnelling under the cliff from the sea bed will cause vibrations and lead to destabilisation of the sandy cliff land. Tidal swirls always occur where a slight indent in the coast appears exacerbating the erosion of the coast as has already happened immediately south of the proposed point where the cable might come onshore.. This would be in addition to the ongoing sediment drift patterns up and down the coast, strong winds and substantial North Sea surges on this coastline. Nothing is the consulation material to date gives any confidence that this has been fully understood and thought through. b. DAMAGE TO A WIDER COASTAL AREA. If the coast is rapidly depleted here, the impact on coastal drift could well lead to new or extreme erosion patterns further to the south affecting first the village of Thorpeness, then the town of Aldeburgh and moving south the important shingle sea wall, part of the unique Orfordness shingle spit,the largest one such in Europe, that protects the Alde and Ore Estuary. c. DAMAGE TO THE AONG- THE UNIQUE SUFFOLK SANDLINGS.The proposed area for coming onshore and installing substations is part of an Area of Outstanding Natural beauty and the Suffolk Heritage Coastline. This area also includes the Alde and Ore Estuary and it is part of the area which so many people come to visit and enjoy because it is not spoiled and industrialised. d. INADEQUATE CONSIDERATION TO WORKS TRAFFIC IMPACT ON AND AREA WITH NARROW LIGHTLY BUILT RURAL ROADS. The chaos and disruption which will occur locally during construction will damage the local tourism economy, as well as disrupt the lives of residents. At least during the period of construction people will also be put off coming to enjoy the beauty of the area. The likely traffic jams and heavy vehicle traffic along narrow country roads with bends and blind hilly dips on the straight parts of the road will make driving more hazardous. e. NEED FOR A COHERENT POLICY TO BRING POWER ONSHORE, NOT ONE OF PIECEMEAL BITES ALONG THE LENGTH OF A FRAGILE COAST.The Association asks that ScottishPowerRenewables joins with other energy companies and the government to develop a coherent, plan for bringing power on shore to the best placed power distribution network without having to despoil many stretches of a vulnerable coastline and land behind.