Representation by Rodger Smith
- Date submitted
- 11 September 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Firstly I've found the consultation process regarding this scheme to be very poor, the visualisations were very misleading, saying that they would plant screens would never work as both Aldington and Mersham are both located on higher ground and therefore overlook project. The visual impact of this project will be horrendous, not only the glass and metal panels but the battery housings and the water storage units over an area that is 8 times larger than the actual village. So the batteries aren't allowed near schools but it's OK to place them near to houses where the school kids live! And when these batteries catch fire, which they will, what about the toxic smoke making its way across the village,which could be days as these fires can't be extinguished. None of this was mentioned in the consultation . This a small village and the roads aren't designed for large amounts of traffic, 30+ deliveries a day will just cause mayhem for anyone trying to go about their daily routine getting to and from the village. As for Smeeth crossroads, this is already an accident hotspot and will only get worse. This has been productive farmland for hundreds of years ,on a flood plain which presumably gives good soil, why all of a sudden is it poor farming land? The area is rich in history and archaeological interest all of which will be damaged/destroyed with the addition of hundreds of 3m piles supporting the panels. Footpaths will be lost, who wants to walk in the countryside alongside 10ft High metal fences, it defeats the whole idea of living and accessing the countryside !! (Redacted) , walking across open fields and seeing for miles with the dog has been a massive help for me. I've been a resident of Aldington for 50 years, I'm not denying that something needs to be done about energy, but this scheme is far too big and in the wrong place, there are plenty of alternative areas which haven't even been considered, biodiversity will be hit hard, important species will be in trouble of disappearing, badgers won't be able to cross the land and bats will be affected by the hum of the battery units. At the end of the day EPL001dont care about the community they are going to ruin,its just about profit to them