Representation by Lois Marion Webb
- Date submitted
- 16 February 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
REF ; MALLARD PASS SOLAR FARM My letter of objections. 16th February 2023 1. The planning of this gigantic area of solar panels should not happen because it would desecrate a huge amount of Farming and English Heritage countryside which, when lost, can never be reinstated for future generations to come for animals and wildlife as well as humans. There are plenty of dis-used air bases with acreage more than suitable. A few suggestions:, unused air fields, along motorways, along railway tracks, supermarkets, factories, tops of flats, warehouses, and possibly tops of lorries, which would create as much, if not more electricity without the disturbance to villages, towns, and wildlife. The Government should have made it compulsory with planning decades ago to have these panels installed. You knew what would happen some years ago, as a Sub Station was built off a narrow country lane from Uffington/ Belmesthorpe/ Ryhall/ Essendine. So you are now punishing the countryside and village lives for your mistakes. 2. Roads to the planned site are having to be widened! Unbelievable desecration of the countryside, disruption to traffic, and people's journeys to and from work, schools and leisure. This would inevitably cause accidents and harmful emissions for at least two continuous years - to the school and college which are on this road widening route - and then at the junction in Great Casterton, making people’s lives unbearable, leading to mental health issues. The hold ups at this junction would also create more emissions and dangers near the school and College. This would not be necessary if you used other sites as previously suggested. 3. A massive area of good quality farming / agricultural land will be taken away for up to 40 years. It is vital now to be able to grow more crops to feed our ever growing population on our own land, and not be dependent on war torn countries (the transporting of which in this climate is extortionate across the whole world now, whereas we could avoid that, and in so doing reduce our carbon emissions). Surely this alone is a good enough reason not to cover it. Added to which, the impact of the weight of tower cranes, storage containers, construction vehicles, concrete etc. whilst constructing the site will cause compaction of the soil to such a degree that it would be infertile and unusable for decades to come. What a criminal waste of good land. 5. The increased Flood Risk to roads, villages, and therefore communities and properties. We know only too well around here what damage that does. You've only got to compare the run off of rainwater from the roofs of our houses to the solar panels, which pours down into gutters in quite a deluge, but is collected down the pipes into rain tubs for watering other areas. Whereas this deluge on solar panels would create a concentrated mini torrent which in turn would create water channels pouring downwards towards lower levels to flood, instead of natural rain spread over the area permeating into the soil naturally and more evenly. 6. The reported [REDACTED] use of Uyghur forced labour in China for the production of these solar panels concerns me greatly. All manufacture of these and related machinery etc. should be solely from Great Britain. We cannot be associated with any kind of slave labour, and potential abuse. That would be abhorrent and criminal. 7. Recent very important archaeological sites over the local area have been unearthed, Roman mosaics in a Rutland field, (and many years ago in Greatford too) a Roman Coffin (complete with a skeleton inside) in a field in Braceborough, and an ichthyosaur skeleton found in Rutland water last year. Which suggests that there are many more ancient archaeological sites under our areas, which obviously need protection from construction such as this. This solar farm is purely being constructed to make money for a Canadian Company, we locally will not benefit at all. I am passionately objecting to this Solar Farm to defend our essential farmland, and beautiful English Heritage Countryside for future generations, from this insane project where it is sited. USE non agricultural land, there’s plenty of other alternatives. Yours sincerely Mrs Lois Webb [Redacted] Lincolnshire