Representation by Sian Louise Jarman
- Date submitted
- 11 September 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am concerned about the size and placement of this solar farm- I think it is too large for the rural setting it is part of and that there are more appropriate local sites with less visual impact that haven’t been explored. Also, with the planned housing developments between Aldington and Ashford, and the planned Otterpool garden town towards Folkestone, there will be little green space left in this rural area. Placing panels on Aldington Ridge will be detrimental to the rural amenity and also to the wildlife in the area, in particular skylarks and yellowhammers. Habitats for wildlife locally have already shrunk considerably due to recent property development. The site is also very close to an area of outstanding beauty, and links to the Saxon Shoreline footpaths. Footpaths that will be destroyed are hundreds of years old, and include the public footpath from the village to the church which is regularly used. I walk local footpaths at least once a week, and this development will have a severe impact on my enjoyment of these. Some of the land proposed to be used is part of the area used to prevent flooding in Canterbury and Ashford, and any additional water run off from the solar panels is likely to add to the flood risk (heavy clay soil and a high water table means surface water does not drain away from the fields surrounding my property, and can lie on the surface for weeks). I am very concerned about the placement of the battery units which are scattered across the site, many of which are close to dwellings. The visual impact of these and the water towers that are also needed will be great. In the case of a fire at one of the units, the fumes caused will be a health hazard, which is a concern because of how close to a proposed battery site I live. I am particularly concerned about the impact of noise these produce- the rural nature of the area means that it is very quiet, and any noise from the units will travel a considerable distance meaning I will have to live with the constant hum they produce. The development of the site will cause a great deal of disruption to the flow of traffic through and to the village. The main road from the A20 to the village is proposed for use by construction traffic- this road joins the A20 at an accident black spot, where several deaths have occurred. The alternative route (Church Lane) is mainly single track so not appropriate to use to divert traffic. This will have an impact on the time the journeys I make will take.