Representation by Helen Mitchell
- Date submitted
- 8 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I strongly object to this project as this will be a huge blight on the countryside in which I live. I choose to live in the countryside for the simple reason it is the countryside. If I wanted to live in an industrialised area I would live in a town or city. I do not want to be surrounded by a sea of glass and metal, prison like security fences, cctv, battery storage containers as far as the eye can see. Where I live I enjoy the views when driving, the views when walking, when looking out of my windows, the feeling of space, the positive effect on my mental health from being in this kind of environment rather than a built up industrialised area which is what the countryside around me will become if these large scale projects are allowed to go ahead. They will change the whole character of the area. Public rights of way across fields will be affected visually, if they still remain at all. This is just 1 of 4 very large projects planned in very close proximity to each other which will engulf many small villages on multiple sides. I regularly see friends post photos on Facebook from their walks in the local countryside, with views stretching for miles across green fields. I doubt they would get such enjoyment from walking past acres and acres of solar panels with views of solid blackness. Not to mention the glare, reflection and noise. People take these walks for their health and mental well-being and the healing properties of walking in the countryside. Doctors prescribe walks for wellbeing. A solar farm will create the opposite for many; anxiety, stress and depression. Lincolnshire is a county known for its agriculture so in a time of food shortage, uncertainty and sky rocketing prices leaving many people unable to afford food this seems hugely irresponsible. Fields should be for crop growing and these projects will mean a loss of productive farmland. Lincoln is an historical city which attracts thousands of tourists every year. The surrounding green countryside is no doubt another draw that brings people to the area. Will they want to visit an industrialised area with cliff views ruined by miles of solar panels? Proximity of panels and battery storage to primary schools and houses is unsafe. These batteries are known to catch fire. What about disposal of these panels at the end of their life? They are not fully recyclable. There is always a promise that land will be returned to its original state but I don’t believe this to be true. If that was the case disused power stations, coal mines would all be fields again. As these kind of sites still remain as they are, why can’t they be used for the solar projects instead of destroying another area of good quality land and countryside. What about the years of traffic on narrow country roads. Not only will this be a huge inconvenience to residents but the roads are not suitable for the number of HGV’s that will be involved. I am not against solar as an energy source I just believe it should be in the correct place. They should be on all large factories, warehouses and other industrial buildings, car park roofs, and it should be a prerequisite that all new build housing has to have them. There is currently a new build housing development in the village of Marton, which is building solar panels into the roofs of the new properties. There should be funding, incentives, help to buy, long term payback schemes and I’m sure more people would then be inclined to put solar panels on their homes and businesses. The energy companies putting these solar park proposals forward could even install them on residential rooftops for free. They are paying landowners to rent their land. If they offered free solar panels on my roof I would most certainly take it. We are an island, surrounded by seas and oceans, surely looking at wind and hydro power are better options. I have seen other countries such as France building solar panel roofs over ground level car parks with all the cars being undercover providing shade and the roof being an entire bank of solar panels. I have seen them along the sides of motorways, creating a covered cycle path. Why is the UK the last to embrace more innovative solutions. It’s all about money that’s why. I noticed when looking on Rightmove recently at houses for sale in the area around Saxilby and Sturton by Stow that a lot of estate agents listings had photos of the views out of the windows, showing lovely open green fields so I think it’s fair to say that estate agents consider this a selling point and a marketable feature when listing a property and a contributing factor to the listing price. If those views were fields full of solar panels I doubt the estate agents would be using those photos and it will no doubt impact on house prices. Wildlife routes will be affected. There will loss of natural habitat for a wide range of species. I don’t believe grass and or other plants will be able to grow underneath the vast area of panels. The mention of grazing sheep is purely a marketing tactic. Britain's native wildlife species have declined dramatically over the past 50 years. Creating safe habitats for wildlife to live, shelter and breed has never been more important. Island Green Power have sought permission to remove virtually all the hedgerows in the West Burton and Cottam solar projects. If this is the case this is a reckless request by the developer and needs further investigation by the planning inspectorate. This is a huge shock and shows complete lack of consideration to the wildlife that inhabit these hedgerows. What will happen to the nesting birds, hibernating hedgehogs, dormice and other small mammals, as well as insects like beetles and butterflies. Many species use hedgerows for food such as leaves, flowers, berries, insects or small mammals. Some species rely on hedgerows as shelter from predators or the elements whilst out foraging. Birds rely on berries in hedgerows for food in winter. Hedgerows criss-cross the country, enabling wildlife to move about the landscape. They consequently connect populations that would otherwise be isolated and vulnerable. Bats use hedgerows as both feeding sites and flight paths for commuting between their roosts and other suitable foraging sites. Butterflies and other flying insects take advantage of the shelter hedges provide when in flight. The People’s Trust for Endangered Species states over 500 plant species, 60 species of nesting bird, many hundreds of invertebrates and almost all of our native small mammal species have been recorded as being supported by hedgerows. As many as 16 of the 19 birds included in the Farmland Bird Index are associated with hedgerows, while 10 of these indicator species use hedgerows as a primary habitat. For more information read https://ptes.org/hedgerow/hedgerow-wildlife/