Representation by Aileen Smith
- Date submitted
- 27 April 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object and am 100% against the Byers Gill Solar development. This is a rural location, taking up valuable agricultural land. If you turn this landscape into industrial land, you are destroying the landscape for ever. Solar power stations are not the answer to green energy as they are very inefficient; the average energy produced by a solar farm is only 11% of the installed capacity, compared to wind turbines out at sea, generating 40% installed capacity throughout the year. It takes approximately 200 acres of solar panels to produce the same electricity as one offshore wind turbine. Solar panels generate very little energy during the winter days, zero electricity is produced during the long dark winter nights, whereas wind turbines produce more electricity 24/7 during the winter when demand for electricity is high. For residents and anyone passing through this area all they will see is a solar power development blighting the rolling rural landscape. This will create an ongoing adverse effect on daily life for residents in surrounding villages Bishopton Carlton, Redmarshall, Whitton, Stillington, Sadberge, Great Stainton, Little Stainton. I am from the Northeast and have family and friends Great Stainton. I oppose the plan, based on the destruction of a beautiful landscape and loss of prime agricultural land. I notice in the developers plans, footpaths currently enjoyed by local people, would be re-routed and worse still have 2 m fences erected on both sides of the footpath. This would take away the opportunity to view the open landscapes, rolling farmland and Cleveland Hills beyond. These local footpaths were vital to health and wellbeing during the pandemic and remain an important part of life. No one wants to walk in an area surrounded by glass and metal panels which are over 3 metres high. There are three wind farms within a 3-mile radius of Great Stainton. There are plans, already approved for 8 solar farms. How much more can these small communities be expected to bear when the cost is loss of visual amenity and the destruction of beautiful green space? What legacy are we leaving for future generations in the North? These villages are simply seen as an easy target for developers as populations are smaller. As well as the impact on the immediate community It will affect the wider community of Darlington, Stockton and Sedgefield who will no longer have access to local countryside. Please find a better way and conserve beautiful countryside and agricultural land for all to benefit.