Representation by Sturton by Stow Parish Council (Sturton by Stow Parish Council)
- Date submitted
- 2 March 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Sturton by Stow Parish Council have the following observations; Whilst we are not against the principal of solar power the land which will be used for Cottam, West Burton, Gate Burton and Tillbridge Solar is vast. There are material concerns regarding the proposals for compulsory purchase orders, which Sturton by Stow Parish Council feel is a retrograde and heavy handed Parish Council has concerns that this land will be reclassified as brownfield once this project has finished and will be used for residential or commercial development. The biodiversity gain could be positive but there is little actual evidence on how this will be achieved. The continued use of “reported sightings” is not adequate as there will be plenty of biodiversity which is not in any register. This could be materially improved by better study. In addition, mitigation has the potential to achieve significant biodiversity net gain. However, in the absence of any detail about the BNG proposal it is impossible to comment on how this will be achieved. At one of the first rounds of public events we were told the aim was to achieve 60-80% BNG. But how? Certainly not by planting a few trees and scattering a few wild flower seeds in between the rows of panels! The potential to deliver something significant for nature in the area that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors is not being realised as far as we are able to tell. The use of single-track roads is concerning as is the potential 70 plus extra lorries per day. When there are few large vehicles this will have an enormous impact.