Representation by Heather Frier
- Date submitted
- 27 March 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
To put this concept into some sort of relatable context, the four projects being proposed for this tiny area of Lincolnshire each have a projected output of 600/700 mgW giving a total output around 2000mgW - the greatest amount of anywhere else on earth and an unprecedented scale of development, despite the fact of the area’s relatively low solar gain. As one of these four solar projects being proposed for this part of Lincolnshire, Cottam Is the most widely scattered with 4 sites, Cottam 1,2, 3a and 3b, together covering multiple packages of agricultural land, some disconnected from each other, others in a contiguous block, stretching roughly from the villages of Sturton-by-Stow in the south to Blyton in the north, a distance of 11 miles, and crossing the county border into Nottinghamshire near the village of Torksey in the west towards Fillingham in the east , a distance of 12 miles. This is an area of Grade 3 productive agricultural arable land peppered with innumerable rural villages, small and large, with tight-knit, active communities and which because of their unspoilt surroundings and peaceful settings offer attractive lifestyles to both locals and newcomers to the area as well as to visitors enjoying the outdoor recreational opportunities available. Potential developers claim that Lincolnshire’s flat landscape makes it ideal for this project but this is not even true of all of this small area of the county. The proposed site of Cottam 1, the largest of the 4 Cottam sites, is on the escarpment running down from Lincoln Cliff (or Edge). The B1398 tracks this for over 7 miles from Scampton to Harpswell providing stunning, infinite westerly views over what is currently productive farmland. Over the whole area currently earmarked for the development of Cottam 1, solar panels are to be constructed, potentially over 4 metres high, surrounded with fencing to shield them from view from not only the neighbouring farms which would be totally surrounded by the these panels but also from those looking down from the road. A much appreciated exceptional vista will be permanently lost to a vast area of unsightly solar panels themselves surrounded by screening which itself would have to be up to 5 metres tall which in reality would always be ineffectual because of the natural fall of the land. We all have come to realise the value of arable land and the fertile soil and temperate climate has ensured our county’s prominent role in crop production. The importance of a sustainable source of locally grown food to our economy has never been greater than has been demonstrated recently. With a changing climate, especially in those countries from which we have historically imported fresh fruit and vegetables, and with the need to reduce both transportation costs and CO2 emissions, there is absolutely no convincing argument for reducing the amount of available arable land. Solar energy is undoubtedly part of the mixed economy of energy sources we clearly need as a country for the future but the overall amount it is proposed could be sourced from the Cottam sites is unrealistic given the comparatively low light levels, short days and hours of sunshine in this county. To concentrate so much infrastructure in this one relatively unpromising area of the country in terms of realistic solar energy production, and at such a high price, economically, ecologically and aesthetically, appears indefensible and insensitive to the most pressing concerns of our times. We have wind here much more than we have sunshine or even light. We have a long coastline to the east where the generation of offshore wind power is already proving successful so why not expand on that where no productive land is lost? The solution for the generation of solar power as part of that energy mix we need is to require by law that all new-build commercial and domestic buildings should have solar panels installed, and existing properties to be retro-fitted where viable. That way acres of solar panels can co-exist with acres of arable land in harmony.