Representation by Ramblers, Newmarket & District Group (Ramblers, Newmarket & District Group )
- Date submitted
- 24 February 2022
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
My role as Group Footpath Secretary for the Newmarket and District Group of the Ramblers Association, (Newmarket Ramblers), enables me to write on behalf of the Suffolk Area of the organisation. We recognise the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to develop alternative ways of meeting the ever increasing demand for electricity, but this should not be at the expense of the production of food, a policy which will lead to further reliance on imported produce. It has been cited that the land intended for this project is not of a particularly high grade, yet a tour of the general area in recent months, revealed that, as far as could be seen, all fields included in the scheme were in or prepared for crop. In recent years, the reputation of Newmarket as 'the home to horseracing' has resulted in an ongoing increase in the number of stud farms and private training facilities in the area. This has led to a significant reduction in the acreage in arable use and the wisdom of permitting the loss of further substantial areas, reported to be in excess of 2,600 acres, to accommodate an energy farm for an alleged period of forty years must be questioned At present, the farmed countryside is pleasing to the eye but, should the scheme be carried out, this will be exchanged for a fenced industrial landscape of solar panels, solar stations and battery storage facilities, alien to the locality and not a good legacy to leave to future generations. My Group has responsibility for monitoring rights of way matters, including planning applications, 'affecting a public right of way'. In addition to our West Suffolk parishes of Barton Mills, Freckenham and Worlington, my Group also has responsibility for matters in the East Cambridgeshire parishes of Chippenham, Kennett, Snailwell and Isleham, all of which feature in the scheme. I am also authorised to comment on the link through to the existing sub-station at Burwell. Whilst our main concern here, as ramblers, must be the welfare of the public rights of way network, there are very few such routes actually within the areas under consideration, so the importance of either preserving them or providing acceptable alternatives is paramount. Mention is made on the Landscape Master Plan of the 'Potential Provision of Permissive Routes, but what is really required are firm proposals for routes, to be adopted by the appropriate county council and added to the Definitive Map for each of the parishes concerned. The supposed life of the installation is a very long time and informal arrangements can be overlooked! This aspect will be revisited at the Written Representation stage, with suggestions that Sunnica will already be aware of, but have not chosen to give serious attention, (yet), as the blue squiggles on the plans included in the undated Sunnica update, (Summer 2020?), do not inspire confidence.