Back to list West Burton Solar Project

Representation by Simon Gregory

Date submitted
4 June 2023
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses
  1. The project will have a negative impact on local property values. 2. The recent Scampton meeting mentioned that Net Zero targets were the driving force but surely this project is entirely financially driven and higher profits will be generated because the power generated will be charged out at the high prices set by the energy market. 3. Peak demand for energy will be around 6pm at which time the solar panels are likely to be producing less, if not zero, power so peak energy will continue to be provided from fossil fuel sources so it would be more beneficial to invest in power sources which work 24 hours a day and not just daylight hours so wind power would be better. 4. Winter season is the time that more energy is required and this is the time when daylight hours are shorter thus less energy is being produced from solar farms so wind power would be better. 5. The National Grid needs energy provision which can be turned up or down depending on weather forecasts. Solar power cannot assist with this as it is limited to daylight hours only and only when the sun shines which is not often during the winter. 6. The British energy security strategy, last updated in April 2022, encourages large scale projects to locate on previously developed, or lower value land, where possible, and ensure projects are designed to avoid, mitigate, and where necessary, compensate for the impacts of using greenfield sites. This project does not meet these standards. 7. Approval of this project and the other three schemes will then lead to other adjacent landowners putting in further applications on the basis that this and the others were successful. Are there any guarantees that this will be the one and only permitted development? 8. There is a cumulative negative impact siting this project (and the other projects) close to existing power stations. 9. Considering that the UK is a very densely populated country measured by head of population compared to square miles so it would be better to explore renewable provision in areas which are not populated ie the sea. 10. As the solar power will be generated at times of the day when it is not needed then it will need to be stored. Siting of battery storage containers need to be properly considered and spaced out so that, in the event of a fire, any radiating heat does not set fire to adjacent containers. The aesthetics of these containers are worse than the solar panels. 11. During the construction phase the upheaval due to thousands of deliveries on narrow country roads will be significant and unacceptable. 12. The circulating current in the ground will have an impact on other buried services for eg gas pipes, which will need to be protected. 13. This project and the other three together are significantly larger than any other in Europe. Similar large projects in other countries seem to be sited in areas where there are no communities. This project is far too large and too close to populated areas which is not happening in other countries so why here? 14. Concerns about the effects on natural wildlife. 15. In the UK we are trying to be more sustainable by being more self sufficient and producing our own food supply rather than flying in food products from other countries. We should not therefore use such a vast amount of productive farmland for a solar farm which we have been informed will be only 10% effective. 16. A better location for these solar panels would be on the large industrial warehouse roofs which would have no impact on greenfield sites. 17.Just because we have acres of green fields doesn’t necessarily mean that what we fill the fields with is appropriate. Pretty much the same as the fact that air source heat pumps are good solutions and help towards net zero but are not appropriate for draughty older houses with poor insulation. The air source heat pumps are appropriate for modern houses built to modern standards with good insulation and good air tightness because ASHP only provide a moderate level of background heat. In the solar farm example, whilst the panels work towards a net zero target, there are much more appropriate solutions which will provide substantially more energy for longer hours and are less reliant on weather conditions.