Representation by Broxholme Parish Meeting (Broxholme Parish Meeting )
- Date submitted
- 12 May 2023
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
Broxholme Parish Meeting Community Statement Broxholme Parish Meeting Chairperson: Robin Seeley May 2023 To: PINS From: Broxholme Parish Meeting Solar Farm Research Working Group Re: Island Green Power West Burton 1 Solar Farm Proposal at Broxholme Village The news that Island Green Power (IGP) was seeking a development consent order- DCO- for a series of solar farm developments which included the West Burton 1 site at Broxholme caused alarm and distress to the majority of the parishioners of Broxholme. As a result of this the Broxholme Parish Meeting appointed a team of researchers to investigate the proposal. The outcome of this research indicated that claims made by IGP were open to challenge in terms of their accuracy and validity. Further concerns were identified about the argument for Solar Energy by IGP which suggested that “solar farms are generating local environmental benefits, supporting flora and fauna and increasing biodiversity”. There is little to no scientific research to back up these statements. As a result of our extensive research, we concluded that the IGP West Burton proposal was ill conceived and that it was to be opposed by the Broxholme Parish Meeting As a community we accept that we need solar development, but it needs to be in the right place. The right place is domestic and commercial roof space, brownfield sites and to some extent poor grade land. Unfortunately, IGP have not been forthcoming with meaningful answers to challenging questions from parishioners and feedback from their consultation has been poor to non-existent. As a Parish we are concerned about the following issues and would request that the Planning Inquiry investigate them in depth. Additional detail will be available at the next stage of the inquiry: 1) Scale: The number of NSIPS proposals for the Trent Valley and their cumulative detrimental impact on the environment and economy cannot be justified upon in depth scrutiny of the West Burton development and other current DCO application proposals from other sites. 2) Loss of Agricultural land: BMV land which is not permitted to be developed will be lost due to this and other solar proposals. This land should be removed from any development application. There is a blatant land grab at West Burton 1 site plot M1 which is 100% BMV3a Land and is separated from the main site by Main Street. 3) Industrialisation of a rural landscape and net job loss: Food producing land will be lost. Related food producing industry employment in the area will be negatively impacted. This impact will need assessing in detail. 4) Visual impact: Iconic rural Lincolnshire’s “Big Sky Landscape” and Visual Amenity will be destroyed by Solar Farm Technology dominating the landscape and making villages and dwellings subordinate to the developments. This is not good practice! Proposed mitigation measures are inadequate and ineffective and at best will simply produce green walls which will obscure landscape views. 5) Tourism industry in Broxholme: Broxholme Village is a tourist destination where four holiday let businesses are in operation. The rural setting and landscape views are imperative to the survival of these businesses. There is a five acre privately owned nature reserve within the village which allows wild camping and daytime public access. Impact of the Solar Farm upon this reserve will need assessing. A popular public footpath which runs through the village will have views obscured and degrade the walking experience. 6) Battery Storage technology and safety threat: The scale of the battery proposals poses a real security and safety threat to local communities. How will this impact on them? 7) Disturbance to flora and fauna: Claims made by IGP for projected biodiversity gains need challenging in pursuit of real scientific data to substantiate the claims that have been made. Parishioners are alarmed that despite informing IGP WB1 developers that there are breeding pairs of Mute Swans on the River Till there is no mention of them in their survey work. Lincolnshire Nature have been informed by us. The WB1 site includes the foraging and flight path range of these swans and pose a real threat to their welfare. A resident farmer in Broxholme is alarmed at the prospect of high fencing channelling deer and other fauna onto their land causing damage. They have received no satisfactory response from the developer to address their concerns. 8) Cable routes and disturbance: Further ecological disturbance will be caused by the installation of infrastructure which is unacceptable and should be challenged. 9) Brownfield site alternatives should be used: Where is the definitive evidence to support using greenfield sites in the Trent Valley instead of alternative brownfield sites? 10) Disturbance to residents and their wellbeing: The application has caused anxiety, distress and alarm to residents affected by the proposal and there should be questions asked about how this has been assessed and what measures need putting in place to address this issue. 11) Scale of resources needed to develop the sites: The scale of resources needed for the proposals are huge and the Carbon Footprint calculations need investigating in depth for an informed judgement on benefit to be made. 12) Transportation and access needed to develop the sites: The movement of resources needed for the proposals are of serious concern. The chosen access route for the WB1 site is not the best option and is unsuitable. Current plans would impact detrimentally on the movement of traffic through Broxholme.