Representation by Richard Markwell
- Date submitted
- 17 March 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I would like to oppose the Sunnica Energy Farm. Food Production Having been involved in farming all of my life and farmed in the area I can see first hand the value of the land in question for producing outstanding crops in both volume and quality which simply cannot be reproduced just anywhere. For example, potato crops grown on such land consistently outperform those grown on fertile fen soil which is widely perceived as ‘potato land’ in both aspects mentioned above (quality and quantity). Food vs Energy Productive farmland areas are increasingly being used for purposes other than growing crops and in turn feeding the nation. In an ever growing population at home and worldwide I feel this is very short sighted with a future food shortage a very real possibility, and in my opinion more of a possibility than an energy shortage. Productive farmland simply cannot keep being used for non-farming uses. With an increasing population and a shortage of houses it is inevitable that farmland will continue to be lost to development, and to a certain extent this is unavoidable, however, using productive farmland for short-term inefficient energy production is avoidable. Alternatives Using productive farmland for energy production/solar cannot be the best or only option. Is it just the easy option? There must be thousands of acres of residential or commercial properties including farm buildings, warehouses and factories where solar panels could be fitted on roofs without impacting the appearance, devaluing the property or area, or harming production. The approval of this site will negatively impact the area for the rest of our lifetime.