Representation by Geoffrey Allen Preston
- Date submitted
- 5 April 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
My objections to Byers Gill Solar Farm Planning Proposal are as follows:- 1. My personal objections to this 'Solar Farm' proposal derive from [Redacted] developers, officers, and planning authorities have supported in their wholesale adoption of applications against the 'general-public' outcry with the contrary opinions. The premise that the large 'company' applicants will win over the lesser financed councils and public interests - especially on 'appeal' and 'court proceedings' - can result in heavy financial losses to the objectors. This appears as a form [Redacted] in the decision-making process but is an important consideration issue for those people responsible with the 'safeguarding' of 'public funds'. The case at local level can therefore be clouded on its merits and weighted with a bias unfairly adopted in most instances. 2. When looked at geographically the conglomeration of these 'solar farms' is putting the 'green-belt' / farming areas under immense threat. The consideration of just the 'Byers Gill' application does not really realise the full extent and impact of 'solar farms' development on our rural area and communities. Local Councils have already passed planning applications on numerous numbers of these developments based on the size and merits of single projects. However, taken altogether in our region, the 'green-belt' has or will be vastly eroded, changing the landscape from 'green fields' into an 'industrial solar panel landscape'. In the NE we have had and struggled to overcome the remnants of the 'Industrial Revolution', where the 'entrepreneurs and wealthy' profited from rail, coal, iron and chemicals to the detriment of local communities physical and mental health. The advent of the 'green explosion', although admirable in conquering past failings, has its limits and consequences if allowed to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner. (We should learn from past mistakes and ensure the future for our descendants is a healthy one which does not deprive them of the landscapes and privileges we have enjoyed in our countryside. (After all, we are only 'custodians' of the land in which we live really.) 3. With the onset of developing trends in - house building; villages compelled expansion by Government and developers; diversification of farmland use; recreation and holiday facilities; the need for townsfolk to explore the countryside for health and mental stimulation as well as the normal everyday traffic our roads and lanes experience throughout the year - the transport/road infrastructure is at breaking point. I live on a 'single track' lane ([Redacted]) which, under normal conditions, challenges vehicular traffic; pedestrians; cyclists; horses and riders; delivery services, having speed restrictions of 30mph through the villages and 60mph on the lane. If this was not enough in itself, large vehicles in excess of the 7.5tonne limit have usedthis highway to circumnavigate the main roads' which are 2 lane - 50mph, using the 'single track' lane as a 'short-cut' between the A1 and A19/A177 routes. (As well as between townships.) The CCTV introduction has curtailed some of this traffic in cooperation with Durham Police. The proposed development of the Byers Gill Solar Farm complex will undoubtedly increase the traffic on the lane and surrounding roads with the residents having to tolerate the inconveniences and safety risks involved. N.B. Potholes are a major problem already and for residents and councils to have even more damage to 'line-marking' and 'road surfaces' is putting an unnecessary extra cost and stress on local funds and amenities after what is a very difficult time for everyone anyway.