Representation by Jill Coleman
- Date submitted
- 4 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The Sunnica proposals do not constitute a good solar power project, and I object to them for these reasons: The proposed energy farm is on a horrifically industrial scale, and would be significantly larger than any other operational plant of its kind in the UK. Its poor scheme design and huge carbon footprint are alarming to me and many other local residents. The losses would outweigh the gains. The greenfield land which would be taken is good quality irrigated vegetable growing farmland (providing habitats for hundreds of species) and there is no guarantee that this land would ever again be returned to agricultural use. Of course we need sustainable energy, but we also need food. The UK is only 64% self-sufficient in food. The battery energy storage compounds proposed are on a massive scale. Sunnica has no experience of building BESS on this scale, and the risks are alarming. They would be close to local housing, which would be subject to lethal poisonous gases in the event of a fire. I am very worried about this. The scheme does not have ‘green’ credentials, as it would create more carbon in its lifetime than it ever would save. The profits from the Energy Farm, should it go ahead, will not even remain in the UK, as Sunnica’s owners are in Spain, and there will be little or no benefit to local people - no local employment, just a ruined landscape, housing blight and, most importantly, major and ongoing environmental concerns.