Representation by Victoria Hambley
- Date submitted
- 27 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
(Redacted) Like so many people I chose to live here for its natural beauty, peace and tranquillity, its big dark night skies, all of which would be blighted by this DCO. I object to the proposals in Scottish Power’s application and agree with the representations made by Snape Parish Council, Friston Parish Council, and by Substation Action Save East Suffolk (SASES) for the reasons stated therein. I am particularly concerned about: 1. SPR’s failure to make an adequate assessment of alternative sites In particular SPR has provided no acceptable explanation for its decision to abandon the already permitted Bawdsey-Bramford route whose selection would have made this DCO unnecessary, nor has SPR explored any brownfield sites. 2. SPR’s failure to adequately assess the cumulative impact of its plans In particular in combination with Sizewell C. EDF’s public consultations for Sizewell C were running at the same time as SPR’s. SPR also refused to consider the impact of National Grid Ventures’ two interconnector projects, even though NGV made clear as early as 2018 its intention to build onshore infrastructure in the same area. Nautilus, the first of the NGV projects, is already showing on the PINS website as connecting at Friston. That SPR is building the National Grid station necessary to connect both their own and NGV’s two projects to the national network, should be sufficient evidence of the need for a meaningful cumulative assessment. SPR has also failed to consider the expansion of Galloper and Greater Gabbard windfarms. Sufficient information is available on all these projects to support a full cumulative impact analysis. 3. Lack of transparency in the consultation process SPR’S public consultations centred on its plans for EA1N & EA2. It was acknowledged that SPR would also be building a National Grid connector station on the same site. What was not made clear was that the creation of this new connection point by National Grid would bring further projects to the area. The ability of National Grid to embed this new connection point in another company’s DCO in order to create an enormous energy hub in a rural area without proper scrutiny or discussion brings into question the fairness and credibility of the planning system for NSIPs. 4. Threat to an environmentally sensitive area SPR’s landfall site at Thorpeness, a 6 mile cable corridor, and vast industrial complex at Friston would cause extensive damage and disruption to the area’s rich landscape, fragile coastline, rare habitats, and the quality of community life. The Suffolk Coast and Heaths area supports a unique ecology providing a haven for endangered wildlife threatened with extinction. Destroying rare habitats, removing hedgerows and woods, and digging up miles of the AONB/SSSI in the name of ‘green’ energy without considering suitable brownfield alternatives is indefensible. It cannot be right that the benefits of renewable energy outweigh the material harm the development would cause to the character and appearance of such an environmentally sensitive area and must be open to challenge.