Representation by Steven Purser
- Date submitted
- 2 February 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a resident of the village of Freckenham. I object to the proposal by Sunnica to develop a solar energy facility nearby the village. I believe that the proposal is disproportionately large and will completely overwhelm what is a quiet and rural setting. It is proposed to extend over a staggeringly large area, which will necessitate a huge amount of heavy traffic to and from the area during the preparatory and construction phases which will disrupt many aspects of rural life and make travelling about the roads in the area extremely inconvenient as there will be road closures, footpath closures and additional traffic. The area planned for development contains high quality productive arable farmland which, once developed will be re-designated and may subsequently enable further industrial development that would not otherwise be allowed in a rural location. Given this countries need for food security I am amazed that anyone wishes to destroy such land and replace it with solar arrays. It is a waste of farmland that currently produces important vegetable crops which will in the next decades become more significant to our diets. Overall there will be a substantial loss of amenity to my generation and those who follow. The sheer scale of the project brings with it additional risks including fire risk from numerous battery storage units, which may additionally create a risk that results in a need for people to vacate their homes. This area, Freckenham in particular is an ancient Fenland location where valuable and priceless archeological relics may be disturbed; I have seen no reference to precautions proposed to minimise risk during the consultation to date. I am not against alternative energy projects, they are crucial to managing the climate emergency that we have as a society created, but developments need to be proportionate and beneficial to the locality in which they are set. this proposal contains zero energy benefit for local people. The period during which the consultation took place has been in the midst of the pandemic but the clarity of information provided and the detail available from the developer has been woeful. It is with regret that I object to this scheme, but as a citizen and a resident of the area that will be grossly affected I must express my great concern and anxiety about it. To whosoever is judging the merits of the proposal I urge caution in making a decision that will affect a swathe of beautiful, rural countryside in a way that will never be reversed. Please acknowledge my concerns. Thank you, Steve PURSER