Representation by Guy Longbottam
- Date submitted
- 19 February 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
East Yorkshire Solar I have lived in [REDACTED] for 36 years and regard the areas in this planning application to be an important part of the environment we live in. I totally understand the farmland is privately owned but despite that it currently contributes greatly to our environment in its open natural views, its natural changing seasonal colours as land is cultivated, sown with new crops and harvested. Currently the land in the application produces around 9000 tonnes of food/ year which in current worldwide politics, war and climate effects should be a major consideration in this planning decision. In the last world war all the land in question [for some reason now deemed suitable for industrialisation] was drained and mechanised to grow crops for staple foods paid for by the government to establish food security -why is this now changed? It makes me feel vulnerable. Locally, surrounding our landscape are beautiful single tracked roads with wide natural verges which support a superb diverse range of species, which provide the community with our only open spaces apart from two public footpaths. A significant proportion are deemed as East Riding Verge Nature Reserve ref no. SE73/BO2.From the plans many of these are to be used for underground cabling and traffic management. I was informed of this intention only last week by post from Ardent consultants weeks after Boom’s consultation had finished. This information should have been included in the consultation process. I have been to all three Boom evenings which they publicised as consultation events. I am keen on green energy and climate preservation. The first occasion I came away with an open mind and, as requested replied to them with comments. My main comments were a request to show consideration to property owners near Brind, Gribthorpe, Willitoft and Spaldington by removing areas of glass surrounding these communities and suggesting different access routes to construction traffic to ensure preservation of our local amenity. Attending the next two meetings I came away thinking that really there was little consultation going on -it was just a well-rehearsed means of jumping through the planning process. This has been confirmed by the final submission plan showing little change to the original. In the last 10 years our local farmland in an approximate 10 mile radius has already lost large areas to Six Penny Wind Farm, Spaldington Wind Farm, North Howden urban extension of 2500 new houses. The remaining land if you look on a map is now going to be covered in black tilting glass. In addition, we have a R100 anaerobic digester at Spaldington whose distribution of digestate to farms is causing horrible verge and lane damage due to overweight use of tractor and tankers with again no consideration to anyone who lives in this area. The visual impact of the project I find intimidating. Despite planting a few hedges and trees the reality is miles of security fencing designed to keep people out, commercial security keep out signs, and security cameras and acres of black tilting glass on aluminium frames much higher than conventional systems on a scale not experienced in the UK. The project has already caused a lot of stress to people that regard this project area as home. The scale is frightening and no benefit to local people except already heavily subsidised farmers. Nobody knows who owns Boom or how secure their finances are. When speaking to so called Boom representatives at the consultation many turned out to be subcontract consultants unfamiliar with our local area. In conclusion I am in favour of green energy but in the right location. The proposed East Riding Solar Farm is just too large in area and the panels unusually tall. Little consideration has been given to people who live locally by the scheme designers and particularly by the farmers who own the land. Solar should go on buildings, redundant brown land already removed from agriculture before reducing even more food production by moving onto agricultural land. If this project goes ahead our area will be semi industrialised for the rest of most local people’ s lifetimes. The construction phase due to our narrow roads will be a nightmare with the beauty I have mentioned destroyed. Any constructive suggestions by people who actually live here that have been put forward have generally been ignored by Boom power. Even our so called local involved farmers have demonstrated quite clearly that they have no regard at all for their neighbours living in close proximity to the black glass. They just want the maximum area to satisfy their greed. The way the project has been presented leaves one feeling intimidated by people who have no scruples about how they achieve their goal .Finally one important factor that does worry me is the effect of 3000 acres of black glass on climate change ,in hot weather anything black for example glass ,tarmac absorbs heat and is too hot to walk on, vegetation for example, grass or ,cereals is always cooler because unlike glass it has the ability to transpire so reducing temperature. The effect on the environment is similar to making our rural area into an industrial estate, the only difference is the roofs are lower and black in colour as opposed to modern industrial buildings being painted pale blue to blend into the surrounding sky. The highly visible security fencing further adds to the industrial vision we will be surrounded by calling the project the East Riding Solar Farm suggests a community project ,the community feels no involvement at all apart from feeling invaded and pushed over by organisations they know little about ,and feel completely unable to have any control in the area they call home.