Representation by Red Lodge Parish Council (Red Lodge Parish Council)
- Date submitted
- 16 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
Red Lodge Parish Council (RLPC) is unable to support the Sunnica proposal as it stands and considers that development consent should not be granted for the proposal as submitted. The Parish Council supports renewable energy projects and would certainly welcome proposals that are low-impact, scaled, safe and sympathetic to the area. However, the RLPC consider this proposal to be of significant impact and lacking in detail that would determine its safety and consideration. a) RLPC is very much opposed to the placement of the battery plant (BESS) so close to Red Lodge residents and village schools. The RLPC are aware of many incidents around the world involving the use of lithium batteries and that the BESS will be of a size far great than any involved in several serious incidents to date. The scientific evidence is that a BESS fire could release toxic gasses and that fire services are unable to control such events. Sunnica are very vague as to the final specification and currently appear to be ‘naive’ in their approach to risk mitigation. b) Sunnica have clearly stated during consultation, that the BESS has been sized not only to act as a receptacle for solar energy, but as storage for energy trading (buying in & selling out at different times of the day), or as they now refer to it as ‘grid balancing’. Even labelled as grid balancing this activity has no green credentials. RLPC are concerned that Sunnica are over-sizing the BESS for increased profits rather than green energy storage, increasing the risk to the local population, especially as Red Lodge has residents within 300 metres and 2 schools 1300 metres of the proposed BESS. c) Red Lodge has significantly expanded in head count in recent years, with many new estates now ‘wedged’ inside the parish boundary. We have a minimum of open space requirements and are very dependant on the footpaths and by-ways leading out of the village to provide residents with a break from the built up area the village has become. RLPC believe that this proposal will significantly impact the current limited opportunities available via footpaths to the West and North West of the Village, leaving any remaining pathways through the solar farm with ‘industrial’ views. RLPC feel that area targeted for solar is being transformed from a peaceful rural landscape, providing quality ‘bread basket’ produce into an industrial solar plant. d) The roads in the West Suffolk and East Cambridgeshire area impacted by the solar project are simply not constructed for the increased heavy traffic. RPLC are specifically concerned about the slip roads from the A11 to the north of Red Lodge, where HGVs carrying battery containers will mix with school and residential traffic. e) Sunnica are currently presenting the land as classification 3b or lower. RLPC believe the data being used by Sunnica is significantly aged, moreover recent Agricultural Land Classifications by DEFRA shows a mixture of land graded from 2 to 4, growing crops such as potatoes, sugar beet, wheat and other cereals across the proposed solar plant. RLPC feel further analysis of land grading is essential. f) RLPC feel the decommissioning plans fall well short of any guarantee that monies will be available to clear up and return the land to the agricultural status it currently possesses and that there are no guarantees that the spent solar panels can be recycled in the future.