Representation by Peter Bishop
- Date submitted
- 16 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The residents of Isleham and many other surrounding villages are horrified by proposals made by Sunnica to install a HUGE solar farm on our doorsteps. The proposal is that work would start in 2022 and take 3 years to complete, thus creating a three year building site surrounding our small villages. East Anglia is a large agriculture area, and as we have left the EU, we should be looking to produce more of our own food, rather than rely on imports. The land around our villages has been used for centuries to grow food – our ancestors worked on the land to produce it and we wish to see it kept that way. The proposals by Sunnica would cover acres of agricultural land around Isleham and other surrounding villages. It makes no sense to take good productive land and cover it with solar panels and concrete pads for batteries and fences. This development surrounds some villages nearby as well as encroaches on the boundaries of Isleham village itself. They are TOO CLOSE!! We feel very strongly that this sort of plant should not be put on the doorsteps of rural communities, blighting our countryside, but should be put well away from habitation, of which there will no doubt be many acres. May we suggest the sides of motorways is a much better location. This project would eradicate a significant amount of plant life, and also wildlife which thrives on the existing habitat. A significant wildlife chain would be disrupted which affects wildflowers which attract bees and other pollinators grow there, which we should all now be encouraging. The loss of such a large area of agricultural land also has a knock on effect to the local agricultural businesses and people, because thousands of acres of lost produce will not be going to the local processing plants, which are local to these villages and also provide a lot of local jobs. This sort of installation should NOT be allowed so near to our small communities. It seems unsightly and unbelievably short-sighted and stupid to take away such large areas of agricultural land from food production.