Representation by Richard Arthur Fisher
- Date submitted
- 3 May 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Oaklands Farm Solar - Proposed Project by BayWa r.e. My Pre-Examination Considerations 1.0 Introduction 1.1 I have been a regular visitor to the rural area around Rosliston after I married a local girl in Stapenhill church [Redacted]. I worked for many years as a qualified Civil Engineer in the water industry. 1.2 I support the British Governments Energy Security Strategy published in April 2022 to accelerate our Country towards the production of low carbon energy and also make the UK independent of foreign energy markets as we used to be. 1.3 This strategy needs to be satisfied in a sustainable way to ensure the right solutions are used to achieve the aims of the government’s strategy. We cant have an ‘all eggs in one basket’ approach so a wide variety of different methods will need to be employed. NB A sustainable solution will minimise the harm to the environment and any negative impact on local people and come within an affordable package. 2.0 Future Drivers • Climate change is already impacting badly on UK agricultural land and matters will only worsen as global temperatures rise and weather conditions become more extreme. More areas are now prone to regular flooding and for longer periods and are predicted to become worse in the foreseeable future giving rise to areas with less productive land. Some land areas are expected to suffer from drought. • Native species need to be better protected with more areas of natural habitat created so they may continue to provide our land with their beneficial services. • Worldwide human populations are being displaced and increasing immigration to the UK. The above factors are all heading strongly in the wrong direction and can only result in food shortages for those UK residents unable to pay anticipated price rises. 3.0 Solar Panels – A Solution or a Problem? 3.1 I can understand the use of solar panels may fit the Governments strategy but we need to carefully consider where we plan to operate them. I sense their deployment in urban areas on roof tops is acceptable and also on derelict brownfield sites. However I believe we need a very careful examination of any project which proposes to use them on valued farmland. Why would anyone select such a site for what would become an industrial ‘Power Station’ and later a potential derelict brownfield site? 3.2 The undulating land of the proposed site will create ‘glint and glare’ conditions which will be unwelcome to those in the local community who currently enjoy rural views and also potentially dangerous to motorists, truck drivers and pedestrians. I believe that most of the proposed site would be masked from direct sunlight and grass may suffer from extensive weed growth. 3.3 Any planned tree planting and hedgerow works in mitigation will take many years to become established and even then will it ever be successful on undulating land? 3.4 I find the photo on the BayWa r,e, Project Newsletter – March 2024 to be particularly misleading by creating the wrong impression for any reader of the Newsletter. It minimises the scale of the proposed Oaklands Farm solar panels and maximises the profuse growth of wild flowers in the foreground without any sign of the high security fencing expected in the Oaklands Project other than a single strand of barbed wire shown without any fence posts. 3.5 In addition, I am convinced that others will be very concerned about the temporary increase to local traffic and damage to the roads network with future cuts to Government spending now promised by both major political parties in election year. Many roads are almost beyond the scope of pothole repairs already and may need major works keeping in mind the anticipated increase in heavy vehicles from construction traffic. Who would pay for this? 4.0 My Concluding Remarks 4.1 There are many other ways to increase low carbon power security across the UK . These currently include widespread insulation improvements for older existing housing stock to construction of more offshore wind farm generators, air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, nuclear etc etc. 4.2 Solar panels are also acceptable in my opinion but not suitable for the Oaklands site as proposed by the developer. I believe the UK needs all of its current agricultural land to be used to feed our existing population. The less we need to import the better in our quest to combat climate change and control food costs. 4.3 If the developer’s proposals are found to be acceptable to the Planning Inspectorate then I would expect a detailed site investigation to be carried out of the existing site and rural land in its vicinity. This investigation to include soil and ground water sampling with wide ranging chemical analysis to create a soil and ground water condition report both before any development takes place and afterwards repeated at the end of the 40 year operating period. Any adverse deterioration of the soil condition would need to be remedied in an acceptable way to the landowner by the developer to prevent the risk of handing over a brownfield site unfit for use by any farmer. [Redacted] 3rd May 2024