Representation by Joanne Harris
- Date submitted
- 30 April 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Solar farm opposition Over the past 30 years, the local councils have driven to turn the former coal mining area from ‘black to green’ they have done so by investing in the National forest and increasing tourism. Encouraging not only people to visit the area but ultimately to move into this rural area .Furthermore, installing a solar farm of such large proportions, the area will turn a large swathe of this countryside from green to grey. Going completely against the rural countryside. 40 years is a generational change not a short term solution. Detrimental Landscape and Visual Impact on the rural character of the area from solar arrays, containers and high fencing with security cameras and opaque netting – increasing urbanisation of a rural area with coalescence (merging) of small rural villages. Traffic The build alone will cause massive disruption, not just to the surrounding villages but through Burton on Trent which has poor infrastructure itself. Traffic surveys – 16 months build, route 1 is hoped Walton bypass to Park Farm Drakelow, next route A38 Burton through Stapenhill to Park Farm. Back up construction traffic route and large loads through Coton in the elms, No one has been consulted on these new routes in Stapenhill, A444, villages which will be cut through. Failure of process? The routes are unenforceable we all know traffic will come down the A444, cut through villages, cut through Castle Gresley/Mount Pleasant/ Coton Park/Rosliston to Park Farm – no one consulted or contacted about this route. Please note Page 8, 6.1 appendix 10.1 outline traffic Management Plan DCC and SCC have stated happy with these routes! Furthermore, the build compounds are on small rural winding rural roads unacceptable for large HGVs and large traffic numbers. • The new Walton Bypass is not built and the Chetwynd bridge at the A513 now has a weight restriction sending all farm and existing traffic through the villages which are already bottlenecks and rat runs to a creaking lack of traffic infrastructure with poorly maintained roads riddled with crater like potholes. • Abnormal loads through rural roads and Coton in the Elms are unacceptable and contraventions of the 7.5t weight limit are a large issue now before the additional associated traffic is introduced from the development. These large loads will also travel next to numerous primary and secondary schools. Adding addition dangers to the children in our villages. Cost of project £88 million 4.2 Funding statement - this is driven by foreign investment firms, our countryside is currently being failed by governments and companies appointed to run their services, such as water companies and the sewage in water scandal now, no benefit to the UK, all the profits go abroad to shareholders, 40 years from now this will not be returned to farmland and they will reinstate nothing. 138MW generating capacity and 37.5MW of BESS capacity. Array height 2.7m fixed panels steel driven piles fixing arraysset 2m into the ground, one part of the site concrete foundations due to water main. Dark blue or black panels. The site is 191ha/472 acres with the main solar site 161ha/398acres 60% Best & Most Versatile Land (BMV) Grade 2/3a 11,000 meters of perimeter fencing 2.1m steel and wooden posts, sheep net and barbed wire 250 cameras on 3.51m poles, 3m by 3m trench, 50m wide corridor to put main 132kV cable in from Oaklands substation to Drakelow substation, new “temporary track” through woodland (16m swathe felled), the peat bog wildlife area, by the brook and over it with a new bridge. No mitigation of diffuse pollution from vehicles, the temporary track, sub aquifers in the area and boreholes,potential lithium-ion water pollution from BESS fire. 238 linear meters hedge removed, 16m swathe of woodland removed “potential for significant woodland impact” (within a document) for the new access track from Park farm across tenanted Fairfield Farm to Oaklands. No new SuDs (Sustainable urban drainage) all rainwater to percolate as they state no extra run off – Coton Road near Walton has been half under water for 7 months! Many times during the recent winters due to poor land management Rosliston Main Street has been flooded with numerous houses and businesses affected. In a number of instances the village has been almost cut off due to flooding on all roads into the village. The proposed solar farm build will exacerbate this situation. Grant I remain unconvinced about the so called grant given to the village. On numerous occasions these types of grants have been empty promises and some technicality usually prevents the recipient from seeing all or even any of the funds promised. Glint and Glare The companies argument is that the panels are hidden behind trees, however this does not work for those panels on the hills which will face the village of Rosliston. The company have promised netting to cover the panels but this will only last for a mere 1/4 of the lifetime of the proposed farm. What will happen for the other 30 years? Opaque net for 10 plus years on the fencing to stop Glint & Glare Coton Road, 85-89 properties affected Glint and Glare Noise There will be a constant noise from the panels and also from the battery centre. In addition the wind will whistle through the vast solar panels creating a constant whistling noise both day and night. Bess (Battery Energy Storage System) 78 containers raised 0.6m on concrete plinths on 0.8ha site, behind secure metal fencing Ineffective Local Council SDdC Council have gone against their declaration of an ecological emergency. They formally declared an ecological emergency in response to the ongoing threat to wildlife and ecosystems.The declaration recognises the essential role that nature plays and provides a statement of intent, to enhance and restore our natural landscape, local wildlife, rivers, streams, water resources, habitats and trees and resist the destruction of such habitats through a considered and sustainable local planning policy. This motion will see the council add ecological considerations, together with any implications, alongside those for climate, sustainability, and nature recovery in our new corporate plan as strategic priorities embedded within all areas of council engagement. The Council will continue to collaborate with our communities, businesses and other organisations, existing networks, and partnerships to improve ecological literacy, encourage greater biodiversity, increase local sustainable food production in order to protect food security, tree planting and management.” Surely removing high quality farmland will put the UK at risk of being unable to produce enough food and in turn increase costs on food imports. Recycling In 40 years the solar panels will not be of recyclable quality and will then sit in landfill, creating hazardous waste. A current report states that a colossal 90% of a panel will end up in landfill. Furthermore, the cost to recycle one panel will be exponentially more than to send it to landfill. I am certain the company behind the farm will look at the costs in the future and send 100% of this hazardous waste to landfill. Alternatives Place panels on brownfield and on new warehouses, a key example of this would be to house solar panels on the many warehouses that have been built on the A38 corridor - Burton and in Swadlincote.