Representation by Sharon Mosley
- Date submitted
- 2 February 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am writing to express my massive concerns regarding this proposal to build this overwhelming solar farm in our tiny villages within Rutland. Rutland itself is the smallest county in England and has beautiful countryside. The plans to destroy this wonderful countryside fills me with dismay and horror. One of the reasons we moved to this rural area was because we are surrounded by sweeping green fields, and we have so many walks and public footpaths on our doorstep. With this construction, the popular public footpaths and bridleways would have 2m high fencing through the fields and massively visible 3.3m high solar panels in field after field after field. I do not disagree in principle with renewable energy being the way forward but on this scale – little Rutland swamped by the biggest solar farm in Europe – is just not right. Surely in the current climate, the UK needs to be self-sufficient in food production, but it is proposed to take good agricultural productive land out of food production for 40 years or more. I feel it unlikely that the land would then ever return to agriculture. This proposal must not go ahead also because of the feelings and well-being of local residents that would be losing their views of the green countryside, lowering their house value, also the birds, insects and animal habitat that would be disrupted. There would also be danger of increased flood risk. I have seen that on average solar farms only produce about 11% of their stated capacity over a year, yet Mallard Pass are stating much higher figures of energy that are frankly false and unbelievable. There are surely far more suitable areas that will not so massively disrupt people's lives, like brownfield sites, more remote areas like alongside motorways or on building roofs. The disturbance and traffic impacts with the construction of the solar farm would be absolutely horrendous on our country lanes. Please do not let it go ahead.