Back to list Mallard Pass Solar Project

Representation by Fiona Beamish

Date submitted
1 March 2023
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses
  1. Size of Development. If constructed it would be the largest solar plant in the UK to date. Full and proper consideration is required to assess the greater impact this would have as unlike other solar plants this surrounds and engulfs villages and is not hidden within a farmers estate. 2. Poor Consultation and Communication. During the consultation process the developers have failed to engage honestly and explain the proposal with the community or give answers to questions. There is no trust in the developers. 3. Compulsory Acquisitions. At no previous consultations have the developers mentioned compulsory acquisitions to residents. 4. Tourism: With the planned Solar overlooking with the ugly security fencing they are planning on installing, this will have a negative impact on a Tourism site and will deter potential customers. 5. Farm Land: Agricultural land is a national asset that requires protection. The loss of such a large area of prime agricultural land in at a time of global food insecurity is a concern. 6. BMV Land and Testing: Government guidance is clear that energy projects should not be built on BMV Land. The level of BMV land on this application is a clear breach of Government guidance. The testing of this land should be revisited. 7. Damage to Biodiversity: The area is home to an abundance of wildlife, herds of wild deer that have not been taken into consideration, otters in the river, birdlife, the assessment have not been fully explored by the developers. 8. Flood Risk. There are existing flood risks and a history of flooding within the area that has not been adequately considered in this application. 9. Fencing: We requested more information on the proposed fencing they are planning to install along our boundary and advise on what cctv etc will be installed on it. 10. Traffic: The site is not suitable for mass construction traffic, serviced by poor quality roads in open countryside and having to travel through small villages to access site. I believe the volume of traffic that currently utilises the A6121 has been underestimated, especially as that section of road is still a 60mph zone. 11. Batteries: The inclusion of installing batteries has been omitted on the current plans but they have not confirmed if this is still on the agenda to put in at a later date. 12. Solar Panel Fires: Last summer with the heatwave we have seen images of Solar Farms on fire. It has been shown that fires start at the inverters, yet despite safety features a number of incidents of solar fires have been recorded as initiating at the inverter. They have not reassured residents that this will not happen here and what mitigation they will undertake to avoid any future fires? 13. Housing: This development will have a negative impact on property prices in this area. 14. Health: In their documentation they do not address the impact that the proposed Solar Farm will have on local residents health and wellbeing. 15. Overlooking/loss of privacy: local residential properties will lose their security/privacy, due to a large number of people who are in the area as a result of the new business, including over the weekend and bank holiday. The agricultural land will be in use daily rather than occasionally as with agricultural practices. 16. Density of Development: The dense development of the site is not in keeping with the local open countryside. 17. Design, Appearance and Materials: The appearance of the site will be greatly changed and this will affect the current dynamics of the locality. 18. Noise: Inevitably there will be noise from the site. There is limited noise from the site currently due to agricultural use. The increase in noise from the site will be over and above the usually expected in this rural community. Particularly when construction is to take place on site. Noise will be present 24 hours a day. In addition, the noise from the inverters is a constant whirring sound, is this safe to have next to a bridleway? 19. Artificial Light: Whilst it is likely that lighting will point ground wards, any new artificial lighting in the open countryside will not be in keeping and will affect the overall dynamics of the area. 20. Energy production: There are questions over the accuracy for the amount of energy the project is likely to produce, then why remove agricultural land in production in a country with limited sunshine when there is a viable project in the pipelines? 21. Employment: There is no employment included in the application, which shows the development is not of benefit to the local area. 22. Security: It is noted that the applicant is located from out of the area and so will not be on site regularly meaning there will be security issues on site. This will in turn cause an issue for the local community. 23. Glint and Glare: Glare from solar panels can represent a risk to drivers, heightened to those with certain medical conditions.