Representation by Michael Stanley P Stone
- Date submitted
- 14 February 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Size, scale and location. A power plant equivalent to 2,227 football pitches on 2,500 acres of farmland is unacceptable, and disproportionate. The landscape will be blighted by 1,000,000 2.5 meter high panels, 30 miles of security fencing , over 100 acres of concrete , and 77 acres of battery compounds, which will dominate the visual amenity for miles around. It should be located on domestic and commercial roof space,on previously developed land in remote locations, not on arable land surrounding rural villages Loss of 2,500 acres of high yielding vegetable and cereal producing land will become an industrial wasteland and cannot be returned to its former use. Britain has less farmland in use than at any time since 1945 and is only 64% self-sufficient. It will increase dependency on imports and carbon miles on food transport. Destruction of wildlife habitats and disturbance of archaeological treasure with a detrimental impact for hundreds of species and 92 designated heritage assets inside or within 1km of the proposed site. Negative effect on village settings and impact on health and mental wellbeing. Two years’ intense construction, with resultant air pollution will be detrimental, especially to those with respiratory conditions. The transfer of over 1000 staff in vehicles plus 160 HGV vehicle movements per day, will over burden the highway network, create unsafe and congested country roads. The noise, glint and glare and concerns over technology believed to be dangerous, will impact on residents who will find themselves in a noisy, congested, polluted industrial landscape. These batteries are a fire risk with subsequent omission of toxic fumes, and a risk of lightning strikes, accidental damage, leaks and contamination, malfunctioning equipment and explosions and will give rise to mental health issues. The scheme would have a negative impact on the value of all properties in the affected area forever. Traffic Chaos - throughout construction contractors will bring in HGVs, including abnormal loads and 1,260 staff will be accessing the sites 6 days a week 7am to 7pm Concerns over the decommissioning of the panels. The hazardous materials are not easy to recycle and can contaminate drinking water. Whilst not an immediate issue it will affect our children and grandchildren. Loss of existing footpaths & byways forever - green routes will become corridors between rows of panels and gigantic battery compounds and no one will choose to walk through an industrial landscape. Poor Screening and inadequate buffer zones - planting native hedging will take years to grow to obscure the panels and longer to screen the battery storage units. The setbacks/buffer zones from roads, paths, and properties are totally inadequate, and will not mitigate the impact of this industrial power plant on our local communities. Sunnica has no experience building to this scale. If it became bankrupt during the project, or due to technology changes became uneconomic, who will be responsible for the failure, and decommissioning costs? Will hinder pursuit of Carbon Zero by 2050 importing panels and batteries from China will create a huge carbon footprint.