Representation by Peter John Martindale
- Date submitted
- 30 January 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I have lived in Castle Bytham for 47 years and am very familiar with the area currently being considered for the development of the Mallard Pass solar farm. I am in favour of the development as it has been amended since the first consultation. It is important that local residents living adjacent to the proposed farm should have a reasonable distance between them and the farm. Where screening is required, it should provided by hedges and trees. Walls and fences would mostly be inappropriate. It is also important to develop the biodiversity on the site to start rebuilding the natural environment that has been stripped bare by modern farming techniques. I am pleased to see the latest proposals include public access to the site. A good local example of such development is Rutland Water. It was originally strongly opposed for understandable reasons. However Rutland Water is now a major wild-life site recognised both nationally and internationally. Anglian Water has worked in partnership with the local community. Rutland Water is a shared endeavour. This should be the model for Mallard Pass. If we don't allow the Mallard Pass development to go ahead, then any serious attempt to prevent devastating global warming will fail. If we can't build here, where can we build? I accept that there may still be further adjustments required to take account of concerns held by those most affected by the proposals, however the building of Mallard Pass should proceed in its substantive form.