Representation by Thomas James Wolfe
- Date submitted
- 3 May 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I strongly oppose this development. The land that is proposed to be developed is good quality farm land. It’s had been farmed for centuries. Farmers form an essential part of the fabric of our small local community of villages. This will affect both tenant farmers livelihoods and local food production. A complete waste and desecration of good quality farming land which once gone will be near impossible to replace. Large scale development on this land will see the destruction of hedgerows and loss of biodiversity and habitat spaces. It will also change the nature of these once peaceful quiet community of small rural villages. It will turn surrounding rural green belt farm land into brown belt, industrial appearing land and essentially join many local villages into an homogenised pseudo-town. When the lifespan of the solar farm has come to an end I have no doubt the land will then be built on as brown belt land and our rural community gone forever. The huge increase in HGV activity that will be necessary for construction over a long period of time is concerning and will lead to congestion and road degradation as well as noise. The glint and glare from the solar farm for road users is also a dangerous concern. This project is a prime example of greenwashing. In the name of green energy land owners and large companies are profiteering whilst damaging biodiversity and the local rural community. It seems to me incredibly short sighted aimed at making quick money and a political headline rather than proper quality investment into local farming and communities. Why can solar farms not be developed on brown belt land or on new housing or industrial developments?