Representation by East Cambridgeshire Climate Aciton Network (East Cambridgeshire Climate Aciton Network)
- Date submitted
- 10 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Non-statutory organisations
As a climate action group, in principle we support any renewable energy development that will help us wean our country off of fossil fuels. This is an urgent priority as if we are to succeed in de-carbonising our economy and preventing runaway climate change and the associated impacts of that such as flooding which Fenland as a region is very vulnerable to. Time is short to de-carbonise our energy system and reduce our exposure to volatile oil and gas prices, so while not a perfect scheme, we support the Sunnica development as a shovel ready project which will make a significant dent in our national clean energy targets. We note that alternative designs have been considered and presented to planning authorities over several years. Our preference would have been for more community led scheme or cluster of smaller community schemes but we recognise that the decision under David Cameron's government to cut the feed in tariff and alterations to the planning system have made smaller schemes less economically viable. It is vital that during construction and operation proper oversight is implemented by planning authorities and Natural England to ensure the mitigation relating to drainage, protecting local water quality and impacts on wildlife are implemented to a high standard. It should also be made a requirement to ensure any new overhead cables are fitted with wire markers to increase their visibility to birds who may otherwise collide with them. We note on page 89 of the EcIA that the areas of grassland between the panels are to be managed as species rich grassland for the lifetime of the scheme, this will likely benefit pollinator populations in the area indirectly benefitting local agriculture which is reliant on a healthy population of pollinating insects along with several red-listed ground nesting bird species. Any nest boxes for predatory birds should not be constructed near habitats managed to benefit breeding waders, ideally these areas should also be fenced off to prevent access by foxes which are a major cause of failed breeding attempts by ground nesting birds. We note that only one compensatory badger set is to be constructed, we do not deem this to be sufficient to compensate for the loss of active badger setts on the land. High bat potential trees should be retained within the scheme. Broadleaved woodland onsite should be retained and supplementary planting to repair existing hedgerows should be required. Lighting on site should be kept to a minimum to minimise disturbance to bats and nocturnally active birds. We do feel that the company could have done a better job of engaging with the community from the outset and offering more int he way of community benefits (more funding for parish councils and community groups for example). We also feel that the development should be linked up with the provision of more electric vehicle charging infrastructure which is severely lacking in the region.