Representation by James Fanshawe
- Date submitted
- 16 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I have lived in Newmarket for 40 years and have been a licenced racehorse trainer for the last 31. I am reaching the later stages of my training career so my objection to the Sunnica development is not a case of not in my back yard but more a consideration for those who may wish to benefit from Newmarket's unique training facilities in the future. My objections are as follows: Whilst we all understand there is a need for renewable energy and the war in Ukraine has highlighted this, Sunnica's proposed development of over 2,500 acres is too big and renders fertile agricultural land redundant and also destroys beautiful countryside, wildlife habitats and biodiversity. The development will have a significant negative impact on the local environment, ie, the local villages of Burwell, Snailwell, Chippenham, Freckenham, Worlington and Isleham. The proposed development is adjacent to probably the most famous turf gallops in the world, namely The Limekilns, a stretch of Heathland which has been protected for five centuries from the likes of the railways in the 19th century, the Ministry of Defence and the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries during two World Wars and the route of the A14 in 1993. Serious concerns about the battery energy storage compounds (BESS) presenting a fire hazard on the edges of residential areas. Concerns over where, and by whom, the equipment for the development is sourced and manufactured. A general lack of transparency - where is all the proposed energy to be stored coming from? Is it all renewable and how can energy be described as renewable when the solar panels and batteries used for production and storage cannot be recycled. As the technology in the design of solar panel advances and they have become lighter and more efficient could these not be sited on the roofs of the many industrial buildings that exist both to the north of Newmarket and throughout the country. Personally I would be only too willing to install solar panels on the roofs of the stable buildings at my yard. The above are my reasons for objecting to the proposed Sunnica development in its current form.