Representation by Richard Lewis Mann
- Date submitted
- 12 May 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object and totally oppose the Byers Gill solar farm planning application. It's imperative that planning policy be clarified to prevent companies like RWE proposing such destructive projects in rural communities. The UK government must prioritise the preservation of farmland and explore alternative more suitable sites that minimise ecological impacts, in alignment with the principles of the National Planning Policy Framework. Great Stainton one of the villages severely impacted by the proposed development sits at a considerable elevation, with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, including to the South, the Cleveland Hills and to both the South and East, the Tees Valley. Residents would suffer the visual blight from the proposed solar panels in multiple directions to such an extent that the destruction of the countryside should be a matter of public interest and concern. For the developer RWE to suggest that hedgerow mitigation on an elevated site would screen 3.5 m panels let alone the fences, battery units and sub station is misleading and completely false. Any attempt at screening with hedges or even trees will be totally ineffective and would take generations to yield any practical results. Considering the scale of the Byers Gill development, totalling nearly 2000 acres, the landscape would be transformed into a dystopian industrial nightmare. The long term and undoubtedly irreversible burden of this project falls squarely on the communities affected, disrupting their lives and destroying their immediate surroundings. The Landscape Institute's guidelines make it clear that the visual impact of such extensive solar developments is undeniably a matter of public interest. The cumulative effect of so many solar panels cannot be ignored, and a refusal of the planning application on these grounds alone is warranted. RWE's claims of environmental stewardship and efforts to combat climate change are contradicted by their disregard for biodiversity, ecosystems and community well being. Their prioritisation of combating climate change over preserving natural habitats undermines any notion of a 'just transition' to renewables. Farmland is already a carbon capture mechanism converting sunlight into food energy and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Our green and pleasant lands should not be sacrificed for profit-driven, inappropriate developments.