Representation by Robert Bowes
- Date submitted
- 8 May 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am fully against this proposed development. We already have numerous other solar farms that have been passed within a 5km radius of the village, Gateley Moor, Long Pastures and Whinfield to name a few! Every road in and out of the village will be fields of solar panels. Every view out of the houses will be of solar panels. This winter has shown the volatility of producing food for the nation, 40% of all cereal and vegetable crops have either failed or not been harvested due to the extreme rainfall, an effect of climate change which, unfortunately, we will be seeing more of. The COVID pandemic, Russia-Ukraine War, Suez Canal incident all highlight how vulnerable we are to other nations for our food supply. We can't afford to lose such vast areas of food producing land just for solar panels. The statistics show that solar PV panels across the UK and the rest of Europe are at best producing electricity at 12% efficiency! Why is the government backing such a poor energy producer instead of promoting wind or hydroelectricity to produce more renewable electricity which are also an awful lot more efficient and don't take land away from producing food. Please do not pass this project and please help us protect our beautiful countryside for future generations.