Representation by Christopher Barnett
- Date submitted
- 29 September 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
While I am generally in favour of renewable energy, I find that in the case of Rampion 2 there are a number of issues that have been inadequate: (1) The undemocratic consultation process. We live in Cowfold but were never made properly aware of any consultation period. We received one 'junk mail' style leaflet that did NOT refer to the Oakadene site and gave the impression that it would mostly affect the pre-existing Bolney substation - with little impact on our area. We are also not aware of the Parish Council engaging with Rampion 2 on behalf of the village, and it has only after the consultation period that efforts were made (e.g. the information meeting at the Allmond Centre, which was NOT part of the consultation process). (2) I'm still unclear why the focus is on destroying two sites rather than expand one? When Rampion 2 staff were asked, it was still not convincing why an expansion to the existing Bolney sub-station was dropped in favour of destroying a new site (saying 'engineers will have looked at it'). The destruction of local habitats is considerable. (3) The traffic impact. A lot of attention has naturally focused on the A272 and Kent Street, but also there will be a large site for storing machinery/equipment and access points to lay the cable. When asked at the Rampion 2 information event, there was not a clear answer about the use of the A281 and traffic through Cowfold - which coupled with the A272, will have a huge impact on affect air quality, child safety and potential vehicle accidents. (4) For all the negative impacts, when asked, there is no proposal to compensate the local communities - such as a trust fund to support local people and local initiatives.