Representation by Charles Henry Hebborn
- Date submitted
- 11 March 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am a resident of Glentworth Village and work in the local area too. I would like to make the following comments. 1. I am concerned that this proposal is not being considered alongside three other solar farm projects which together will be the largest solar farm in Europe on good food producing land. Looking at these projects individually gives a perception to planners that they are smaller. Together they are huge. This feels an unfair planning strategy. 2. Local farmers will confirm that this is good food producing land. 3,500 acres (10,000 acres to include neighbouring projects) will be detrimental to local food production for humans and other animals. The land will potentially become an indusrialised area, not currently within any local plans. 3. This will have significant impact upon local, historic views - areas of outstanding natural beauty. There is nothing in the plans to sufficiently mitigate this 4. The local fire service has confirmed that it does not have a plan to cope with potential fires and chemical hazards from the Battery storage facilities that are proposed at scale. 5. The project (alongside the other three projects being proposed, sacling up to 10,000 acres) will take four years to construct causing significant impact on wildlife and quality of life for local residents. Currently, there are also proposals for new oil well construction in the area potentially with 100 tankers per day using the small roads in the area (originally cart tracks). These will have a significant impact on mental health. 6. We do not feel that we have been communicated with honestly about the project - glare, battery storage, vehicle movements, fencing are just a few factors now coming to light. Have brownfield sites been considered? 7. We do not feel that the benefit of these projects outweigh the benefit of food production. Is this project REALLY going to help the UK energy mix (eg on a winter's evening)? What is wrong with roofs of properties to get the best of land use and existing structures? 8. Is the carbon footprint of the manufacture of HUGE amounts of solar panels, batteries and accessories in China ethically correct when China is also expanding it's infrastructure of coal fired power stations? To conclude - whilst we can see the significant benefits of renewable power, the points made above outweigh the ethics of such a scheme.