Representation by Claire Butler
- Date submitted
- 27 April 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I think there are a lot more better locations for this project, not so close to a small village where 840 people live! There will be so much loss of valuable farmland, currently in good quality condition of which, the government say should be retained for food production! We are in a cost of living crisis and depriving our land from growing quality food and animal farming! This will be harmful to our local wildlife and habitats! Hedgerows and trees will be removed! Wildlife will struggle to find habitat, what will happen to the current habitat? Wildlife corridors, such as the stream will be destroyed whilst they build roads and bury electric cables! This is used by many species for spawning, drinking and hunting ground. We currently have a peaceful and beautiful landscape providing us with tranquility and our reason for moving to the countryside from a busy town environment. This land is highly unlikely to be returned to farming in the future, the solar farm will be operational for 40+ years and then uninhabitable and unfarmable will be devastating for our future generations. At the moment we have a gorgeous landscape of fields, which if this solar farm goes ahead will be hidden by solar panels, fencing, protective screening. This screening will provide us with reflective ‘light and glare’ for months of the year, drivers could be dazzled by reflective sunlight, causing an increase risk of road accidents. Our village is currently overwhelmed by traffic due to lorries and cars from a nearby new housing estate, plus access to the A38 for traffic from Swadlincote, Stapenhill and areas further afar. This causes me problems as well as all the other residents of the village commuting to work. We have been waiting for a bypass to reduce this traffic through the village for years (which probably will never happen) and now hear that traffic lights, road works, 14 HGV and 67 light vehicles extra will be travelling through. Our roads and lanes are already in a state if urgent repair, of which the council never seem to repair properly, all of this will be more disruption to our lives than we receive already. [REDACTED] Walton has also been subjected to severe flooding for the past 5 years, which has caused the whole village to be isolated, we are told that more hard standing on site will increase rainwater run-off and possible flooding.