Representation by Catherine Meleuc
- Date submitted
- 14 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Dear Planning Inspectorate representative, I live in Isleham with my [redacted] boy. We moved to the village 18 months ago and have just bought a house, looking forward to being part of a rural community for seve decades to come. Whilst I am fully on board with green energy, I want to see it done in a way that respects the environment we are leaving for the next generation. In my view, arable land is more valuable, both shoet and long term, than a solar farm because the solar farm has several drawbacks: 1. it will make arable land sterile and contaminated for decades after the solar farm has been dismantled, while the region is one of the most fertile in the UK and relies on farming for its economy. 2. the life of the solar panels compared to the energy benefits is very low. I believe it takes much longer to reap benefits than for the panels to degrade and reduce in efficiency. 3. panels are made from material that is not yet recyclable and their manufacturing has a huge CO2 footprint, and requires rare metals that are infamously polluting to mine, before they are even installed. I am not against solar panels but smaller units, maintained privately to outlast their return on investment, make more sense and can be installed on rooftops throughout the country to avoid using up fertile land we need to feed ourselves and future generations. 4. the installation would mean several months, at least, of heavy industrial traffic, meaning pollution and disruption in a rural location, with children cycling, families walking their dogs or visiting nature reserves. The disruption to commuters, as we would have to take long detours to get to work daily, would produce more car pollution as a result and impact traffic for the whole local area. I chose to live here specifically to reduce commute. Then there is a wealth of wildlife that will be negatively impacted. I often see muntjacs, pheasants, hare and smaller animals. Their habitat is at risk with this project of massive proportions. 5. storage batteries can catch fire, which in itself would be bad enough if it wasn't for the toxic fumes, so close to habitations and SCHOOLS. I would not feel safe knowing the winds, often strong in this part of England, could be bringing toxicity to myself and my son. This would seriously make me consider moving out of the area and house prices would definitely drop significantly. A rural exodus is not what society needs now. Isleham is a quiet village with a strong sense of community, as are the villages around. Families have lived here for generations. Such a construction may bring jobs in construction for people living in other parts of the country or world, but it will bring environmental and societal destruction to the local area. All to bring monetary profit to the few without actual gain for people or planet. I beg you to please reconsider Sunnica's application to build a solar farm in the area. The balance sheet is not in favour of the county, its people or its land. Their are alternatives to green energy that make sense for all but this is not one of them. Sincerely Catherine Meleuc