Representation by Matt Bunnell
- Date submitted
- 16 May 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am concerned about the impact of this development on a rural area which already has a significant number of solar developments under construction or under approval (Gately Moor, Longpasture, Whinfield, Letch Lane, Thorpe Bank, Low Middelfield Farm, Burtree Lane and Hunger Hill Farm). I feel that the cumulative effect of another, even larger development such as Byers Gill will make a disproportional impact on the local environment and local community - especially the 450 residents of the village of Bishopton. Public footpaths, bridleways and minor roads around Bishopton are popular with locals exercising, dog walking, horse riding and cycling. Should the project go ahead, the visual landscape will be dominated by solar panels and security fencing, spoiling the countryside views that are appreciated by residents and visitors to the area. Mitigation such as growing new hedgerows will only help in a small way and even then not have any significant impact (due to the time it takes for hedgerows to grow) for many, many years to come. The area has seen a significant increase in flooding in recent years on the roads and fields surrounding Bishopton and I feel that impact of this has not been fully considered by RWE in their assessment. Construction traffic and construction noise will impact the lives of residents of Bishopton, and children attending the primary school in Bishopton. RWE's consultation with the community has been really poor, often appearing to avoid engaging with local residents. RWE hosting a public event for locals in the town of Stockton when all the impacted residents live in the Darlington council area is hardly in the spirit of community engagement either! I am unable to find any detailed information of the findings of the questionnaire that was sent out by JBM/RWE in May/June 2023. I am concerned that farmland in the area which is currently used for growing crops will be lost, further reducing the country's reliance on imports. Furthermore, at the end of the life of the solar farm, it is far from clear who would pay for the dismantling of the equipment - especially in the case of JBM/RWE no longer having active operations in the UK energy market at that time.