Representation by Mr Alan B. Smith
- Date submitted
- 5 February 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
We moved to this house in Worlington in late 2015 in the knowledge from our solicitor that the area surrounding our house was designated as countryside. There was no possibility of the land being used for housing or commercial development. Therefore we are affected by the Sunnica proposal and furthermore in 2021 found it impossible to sell our house to downsize due to my wifes ill health. Our agent confirmed in writing that willing purchasers were unable to proceed due to the planned Sunnica development. and the consequent possible decrease in property values. We therefore object to the Sunnica proposal; on the grounds of the scale of the project of some 2,800 acres of food producing farland being lost and the change of use to an industrial complex consisting of approx 1.1 million solar panels, warehousing, car parking facilities, office accommodation and 3 large sites with a total of 75 acres of battery energy storage cabins. These pose dangers to human health with risks of fire, explosion and toxic plume. We wish to inform the planning inspectors by Written Representation of a number of items within the Development Consent Order that we wish to comment on in detail and will provide evidence to support the facts we present. The following is a list of those Apps within the DCO. • The concerns of good class food producing farmland being chosen instead of brownfield sites, old industrial sites, contaminated MOD land and no information available on alternative sites. • The risks to human health from BESS fires and explosions internationally including the UK and the fact they are unsafe as proven by academics. • The closeness of the planned development to residential areas whereas the recommendation for BESS installations is a 10 mile radius of residential properties. • The ability of the 2 local fire services to cope with a catastrophe when it is learnt that there is no national fire service training but that and major incidents with BESS are left to the Area Chief fire officer. • Decommissioning, at the moment, no national guidelines from BEIS as per wind farms, the leases are for 40 years so who will be responsible for maintenance, and returning the 2,800 acres back to farmland and what are the anticipated costs. Sunnica have said publicly they will on sell the DCO planning consent. • Solar technology. The grid cable connection at Burwell is 15km from the solar farm whereas The Inspectors for Cleve Hill Solar farm said the maximum efficiency is at 5km. • The Funding Statement for the scheme by Sunnica Ltd and its backers on which there is scant information re the estimated capital cost. Also the financial viability of the scheme and also the contribution to green energy evidence. • The historic importance of the Brecklands landscape in which most of the development is situated and the environmental costs to its habitat of protected wildlife and birds.