Representation by Andrew Ayres
- Date submitted
- 2 March 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
There are four solar parks planned for this area, which are being treated as seperate proposals, this make the overall impact less visible and appears more acceptable. I am not an expert but it looks like these developments will cover an area larger than Lincoln and as such are the most significant and far-reaching planning proposal in Lincolnshire in many years. The decision to allow this development should not be made lightly and should be consider as a whole. Net Zero is a admirable goal but even if the UK achieved this it would have a minimal impact on the world as the major CO2 producers are not as committed to the goal and timescales. The UK will potentially irreversibly damage our economy, environment and food security for little overall gain. Will it be worth it? My comments relate to all four proposals Loss of 10,000 acres of farmland which is used to grow crops and for grazing. Recently food security has been highlighted as a major concern and the reliance on food produce abroad cannot be sustained in times of hardship as seen during the recent pandemic. If this land is used for solar farms, it will never return to agricultural use due to contamination with chemicals from batteries, glass, concrete and other contaminants. Can we really afford to lose this land forever when other options are available. If solar energy is to be used it should be on brownfields sites or ideally all houses/factories/shops/offices should have solar panels and batteries to allow immediate use at point of capture. Solar power production is unreliable, only available during the day and when conditions are good while other options such as tidal and nuclear provide more constant availability. There are already plans for nuclear power plants at the local power stations. It can sometime appear that companies can manipulate rules and regulations to bias the argument in their favour, this can be seen in the ineffectual archeological assessments (dig a long trench and peer into it for 10 minutes) and the downgrading of agricultural land to make it seem we are losing less. Our energy security should not be about making big profits for companies and shareholders. I love the countryside and often see deers, hares, buzzards, barn and tawny owls to name but a few. These will be marginalised by the solar farms and will be unable to roam freely and will quickly disappear from the environment. This will be a very sad loss. The countryside will become an industrial science park and a wasteland once its usefulness is over