Representation by Anna Rooney
- Date submitted
- 20 April 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Significant and permanent changes to the landscape will cause great unhappiness and the likelihood of this returning to its original function is non-existence really and certainly not within my life time. I chose to live in Coton in the Elms ( having moved from a village significantly impacted upon HS2) due to the beauty of the village, and also the immediate surrounding villages and countryside, which is peaceful, tranquil and a joy to experience, which I do on a regular basis via many rural local walks, to all surrounding villages included in this proposal. The solar farm will be a BLOT on the landscape and an EYESORE, for those who enjoy the surrounds when walking and also when driving and/or those looking to potentially move to the area. The glint and glare from the panels is unacceptable, given the magnitude of the proposal, and the plastic screening to potentially offset this, would again be an eyesore ( as they will be seen) and not in keeping with the aesthetic natural landscape and beauty of this area. The harm being caused to local wildlife, trees, streams/brooks is unacceptable. Animals displaced, ecosystems destroyed and natural landscape that we know once damaged, can never be put back to the way it was. Noise travels and pollution too. I have moved to live in a quiet and peaceful village, from a very very noisy and dirty one. I would be very unhappy with increased noise levels, from heavy works traffic coming through the narrow lanes of Coton and surrounding villages, causing more damage, more mud on the road, dust pollution and significantly increased likelihood of accidents and possible road deaths, as a result. Local wildlife and young children play and frequent the village and green areas in the village and the ramifications of such a proposal, gives me great concern for their safety, which should be paramount and the safety of the whole community in general. The disruption from the proposal will cause me considerable anxiety and unhappiness from its conception and forevermore, because of the damage to the countryside, the loss of habitat, animals and ecosystems. The noise (construction and post completion), the length of disruption, dust, glare, heavy traffic, unsafe roads (for pedestrians, cyclists, horses and their riders, and vehicles), damaged and unrecognisable landscape, loss of habitat and displaced animals, and even more flooding to the local area. It will not be the same and certainly unrecognisable if it went ahead. Local flooding is already problematic in this area, and don’t get me started on the roads and the numerous pot holes, which are of poor quality/standard. As highlighted above, this proposal, will only seek to cause increased flooding to the roads, due to even more run off and the ever increasing warmer and rainy climate and more damage to roads as a direct result of heavy vehicles. If the current roads cannot be maintained to the standard required now, what hope is there for us, with this proposal. Therefore in my opinion, the proposal would only cement this further and cause considerably more flooding, damage and problems for myself and the local community and those who visit the local area to enjoy. Why are we choosing to use quality agricultural land for a solar farm, when the government has told us, it should be used for farming. We need to support farmers to grow produce. Surely putting solar panels on roof tops, is a much better option, thus using a property which already exists, so takes away the need to use agricultural land. Regrettably, I am unable to see the benefits of this proposal, which do not outweigh the great loss, cost, disruption and damage that will occur.