Representation by Marie Kathrin Mann
- Date submitted
- 28 September 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
As a resident that will be in quite close proximity to this potential Solar development, I have a series of concerns and wish to register my objections. 1) This is agricultural land. It is my understanding that the land proposed for use by the development is in fact excellent quality, arable land. Given the impacts of various global events over the last 4 years, I find it unbelievable that good quality land is proposed to be utilised for semi-renewable energy, rather than for in-country food production. It is entirely unclear what state the land will actually be in once the panels are in / have become obsolete - the same applies to the requisite battery storage. 2) The sheer size and scale of the proposal is disproportionate to the already agreed solar farm developments. It is particularly obtrusive to those who are closest, and utterly destroys the rural character of the surrounding environment. Developments of this scale should be sited on already industrialised locations and / or be of a distributed nature, taking advantage of the huge number of rooftops available from both an industrial and private homes perspective. I have reviewed the Selby Local Development plan and believe the proposal contravenes: Selby Local Plan key objectives for the Environment Policy key objectives 2. To project and enhance the character of the countryside, 3. To safeguard the built heritage of the district. 3) I have concerns over the impact on the value of the property I own together with my husband. I specifically purchased this because it is a rural community with an agricultural background, which has been a lifelong ambition and came at a premium price. The size and scale of the development will have a highly detrimental impact on those of us (including myself) not only from a purely visible perspective, but importantly, on a financial one. These sorts of impacts have been shown time and again over the last 20 + years on major infrastructure projects to be very real, with many subsequently seeking financial compensation. If the proposal goes ahead, this could result in a negative equity situation, effectively making not only myself, but other effective 'mortgage prisoners'. 4) I have concerns around noise and vibration not only during the development, but on an on-going basis. As I understand from my research, there will be several battery storage and power conversion units which will involve installing large shipping containers and equipment via crane. There will be significant effects of noise and vibration during the construction phrase and potential nuisance noise during the lifecycle of the development. Having visited a similar (though considerably smaller development), it was quite apparent that DC / AC conversion and voltage regulation equipment generated some serious noise levels, not to mention some of the other associated risks around large deployments of Lithium based energy storage. I specifically sought out a rural environment for the surrounding peace and tranquility - something that is now threatened.