Representation by Jacqueline Mary Strange
- Date submitted
- 30 March 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I write to oppose the Cottam Solar Power project Whilst I understand the need for Britain to produce its own energy by various methods including solar farms, I believe other massively important factors need to be taken into consideration when decisions are made on where the solar farms are located and the acreage they cover. 1. Lincolnshire has, for many years, been referred to as 'The bread basket of England'.It has thousands of acres of flat land of varying grades of soil, making it ideal agricultural land to grow many different crops to feed the nation without having to import from and making us reliant on other countries. 2. Aside from the obvious environmental issues involved in transportation from other countries to put food on our plates, we lose the absolute control over how are crops are grown, stored and the ultimate cost to the consumer in this ever changing world. 3. Our wildlife will be compromised and disrupted by the installation and although sheep and chickens can apparently be grazed beneath the panels and wild flowers grown for bees to make honey ( bee keeping being an option considered by some farmers who have applied to 'plug into' this project), there is a limit as to how much honey, how many eggs, and how much lamb we need! certainly not 10,000 acres worth! 4. The mental health of many rural areas is a cause of great concern and is a concern close to the heart of our Queen consort. The ability to walk down tracks alongside the growing crops, watching their growth from the first green shoots through to their full harvest is a source of great comfort and hope for so many. Driving and observing the changing colours in the patchwork of fields in North Lincolnshire lifts the spirits of so many who simply 'go for a drive' to feel better. A sea of solar panels will have the opposite and adverse effect.It will remove that so necessary feeling of life, hope and a future. 5. Solar panels can catch fire and those fires are difficult to extinguish and can quickly spread. Is there also not a danger of toxic chemicals being released into the land from faulty panels even though I'm sure they will be checked ? 6. The local heritage has not been taken into consideration and the finds on local trial digs appear to have been disregarded. Even the tiny unspoilt C12th church of St Ediths at Coates, which escaped any damage during the reformation as it sits quietly protected and hidden by a handful of trees will not escape the panels under this proposed plan! For all of the above I am massively opposed to the sheer size,10,000 acres of agricultural land and to some of the areas under consideration for the proposed Cottom Solar Project. It would massively impact the ability of the county of Lincolnshire to secure our nations need of corn to produce flour, a huge variety of vegetables and totally disregards our hugely diverse wildlife and the mental health of the rural communities. No one knows how these panels will affect the land for future generations and whilst I could understand a solar farm covering 2000 or 3000 acres in total, I absolutely oppose such a massive area being used for this project What will happen to the land after the solar panels come to their end in 20 years or so and need replacing? Will the land be fit for traditional farming if panels are no longer required because the country has other ways of creating electricity? How will this huge mass of panels be disposed of ? Is it guaranteed that there will be no adverse health issues from them as this is a new innovation? There are far too many important unknowns and unanswered questions and not enough thought for the future, only for the here and now.