Representation by Lorraine Leese
- Date submitted
- 16 February 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am shocked at the proposal for the mass implementation of solar farms within one area of Lincolnshire, starting with the first application for the Cottam Solar Project. Lincolnshire is a farming county and has been for hundreds of years. The areas proposed for this and the other farms amount to over 14000 acres of prime arable land, with more applications seeming to appear weekly. We need to retain our food independence, the war in Ukraine should teach us this if nothing else. Solar farm has very low efficacy of around 20%, and that's on a good clear sunny day. For much of the year they are ineffective, They have a high carbon footprint, taking in excess of 10 years to offset their manufacture and installation. At the end of their relatively short life span they cannot be recycled and contain carcinogenic compounds which will leach into the soil, contaminating the land for future arable use - in fact research shows the land will become brown land. Wildlife corridors will be lost to the impenetrable security fencing, this has been shown in photographic evidence of deer, foxes, badgers and rabbits all dying due to being locked into small areas without access to sufficient food and water. The developers all pretend that they will ensure wildlife is saved and that they can shade under the panels, but as yet I have not seen any evidence of other solar farms or have ensured wildlife corridors remain open and that trees etc are planted to offset the damage. We are not talking about one application here for a few hundred acres, we are talking about numerous applications which will cover the whole area around 30 villages, destroying our farming community, wildlife and outlook. The wildlife will have no-one to move out too, and farming will die. Solar panels are not as effective or efficient as wind turbines. Solar farms should only be allowed on brown field sites, and then only after assessing whether a return will be seen. We are expected as a community to lose our beautiful countryside, our wildlife for zero benefit to us but to huge benefit to the investors. Many of the investors are from abroad, they are in this to make money and the expense of the British taxpayer. As country we should be installing panels on industrial sites and on housing.