Representation by Spaldington Parish Council (Spaldington Parish Council)
- Date submitted
- 6 March 2024
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
As acting clerk to Spaldington Parish Council I am aware that some residents will have solar panels to 2 or 3 sides of their properties with very little buffer space. The screening suggested by the developers has not been properly detailed in the application. Is it to be mature planting or whips? The hedges in this area are species rich and do not need disturbing. Any further planting would need to fit that same criteria and the developer has not confirmed that this will be done. The hedgerows are alive with wildlife and as such should not be disturbed. The area is a haven for owls, how will they hunt for food in a landscape covered in solar panels which are of a size which is unprecedented in this area. The materials used are a magnet for thieves and residents are concerned about the impact the build of the solar farm will on their own residential security. flooding is another issue residents are concerned about. The dykes are full after this years rainfall to the point where some gardens are flooded. Will this development add to residents concern about flooding. Increased traffic will cause problems for residents on these single track roads. With the area already having a windfarm and an AD plant the addition of a large scale solar farm will in effect turn a rural landscape into an industrial landscape. There is no logic to the pattern of the solar farm. It is spread out and not all farmers/landowners in the area appear to have been approached by the developer. Had they been then the impact may not have been as great as it may have been contained in a more suitable area away from residential properties. The roads in the area are single track and unsuitable for heavy vehicles. The areas utilities are laid in the verges and residents have already suffered during previos developments with loss of telephone, broadband, electric and water despite reassurances that this wouldn't happen. The demographic of Spaldington is such that at least a third of the residents work from home and therefore need full access to the utilities with no breaks. Residents have either been born and brought up in the area and appreciate the peace and quiet, the plethora of wildlife, the sense of community and access to a good footpath network to name but a few or have moved into the area for the very same reasons. Noise concerns have been raised by residents both before and after the build from excess traffic and the panels and sub stations. The developers have failed to address these concerns adequately. Piling has been discussed as a method to be used during the build but again the noise issue has not been adequately dealt with . many properties in the area are of an age where they were built without proper foundations and residents are worried about how piling and excess traffic on unsuitable roads will affect their properties. Again these issues have not been addressed by the developer. The Chair of Spaldington Parish Council has already put forward residents concerns. Spaldington Parish Council are very concerned about this application as we believe it is far too big covering over 3000 acres of productive farmland and will effectively turn our rural landscape into an industrial one. This huge development will engulf 5 rural villages including Spaldington. While we understand the importance of renewable energy, this particular project will have devastating consequences for our local environment and wildlife. We fear that it will cause excess traffic, flooding, disruption and destruction of farming land - all vital aspects that make up the fabric of our community. A number of our residents will be surrounded, on 2 or 3 sides of their properties, with very little buffer space between their homes and the solar panels. We are worried about the effect on their quality of life. Many of them have chosen to live in the countryside, to be away from the noise and stress of living in an urban environment, but with this development the tranquillity of the area could be destroyed permanently. Despite the assurance that the 40 year life of the solar panels is temporary we do not agree that 40 years is temporary – it is the remaining life left of many of our residents. In addition, the cumulative effect on the local landscape will be enormous. The Parish already have a large scale Wind Farm and a 250.000 tones a year AD Plant and both are known to cause a noise nuisance. The Parish Council have recently been approached by a developer regarding building a 350 acre Solar Farm along side the existing AD Plant. Why has this Parish suddenly become a hot spot when is it going to stop. Its clear that residents welfare and quality of life is not being considered. We believe that if this application was in several smaller applications rather than one huge one it is likely that not all of them would be approved on the grounds of cumulative effect. We find that there appears to be no logic in the selection of fields, and it seems that they have been chosen on the basis of which landowner was prepared to get involved rather than the suitability of the location. This whole development is piecemeal and could have been designed much more efficiently. We also feel that there are many roof top locations on warehouses, factories etc and brownfield sites that would be much more suitable. The roads all around the designated site are single track roads bordered by a number of ancient hedgerows and trees some of which are now in danger of being removed. The suggested planting would not mature in the 40 year lifespan of the solar panels so should not be used as a key point to approving the application as surely if trees and hedges are being removed they should be replaced with mature trees and hedgerows – not saplings. The current roads cannot support hundreds of heavy lorries in addition to the usual traffic without having a serious adverse effect on the local community. Many of the verges contain utilities beneath them such as water, electricity and telephone cables. The proposed traffic management scheme with road closures and traffic lights will seriously disrupt the daily lives of residents, local businesses and farms for the whole of the construction period which we have been told could be up to two years. Another major concern is about the prospect of noise and vibration for the construction period and thereafter from the panels themselves. We do not believe the assurances from the developer about potential noise have been adequate and have failed to satisfy the concerns of our residents. The panels are so close to many properties, so residents are bound to hear any noise or activity such as extra lorry movements and are also very worried about the construction methods such as piling which can cause a severe noise nuisance. There is also the prospect of serious damage done to older properties as they were built without foundations. Again, we do not feel that developers have sufficiently dealt with residents’ concerns about this issue. Police forces around the UK have warned of the potential of increased criminality as OCGs see the potential in the copper and other metals in the panels. This could mean a change in the type of fencing proposed making it even more intrusive – coupled with the inevitable cameras and lighting it will be like living in the middle of a huge industrial power station. It could also cause issues with people getting insurance on their homes and possessions particularly those who live closest to the earmarked fields. There is basic street lighting in the village itself but no street lighting in the outer parts of the parish which is part of it’s charm so the prospect of living amidst cameras and arc lighting on a daily basis is quite disturbing. 5.44 km of local footpaths will be severely compromised by this development and some are also part of the historic Howden20 route which is enjoyed by many people from all over the area and further afield. Spaldington has long been a major part of the route and the sight of groups of ramblers, cyclists and horse riders enjoying the beautiful countryside and abundant wildlife is part of everyday life for us. Once operational these fields may lead to an increase in surface water runoff leading potentially to flooding issues particularly with the threat of climate change (there are also studies that show large solar farms can create microclimates) bringing even more adverse weather conditions in the future. This year after the heaviest rain experienced for many years there is low level flooding throughout the designated site. Standing water on the fields has caused run off into gardens where it has never happened before. Compressing heavy clay soil and filling it with concrete will only make the situation far worse and the threat of flooding a real possibility in the years to come. In conclusion we strongly object to this application on the grounds that it will have a huge detrimental effect on the residential and visual amenity of Spaldington’s residents and their quality of life for all of the above reasons. There will be solar fields actually covering 25.8% of the Parish of Spaldington and the actual area affected (i.e. within sight of) will be 52%. In addition, the entire development which is defined as 3000 acres in the application will actually encompass an area of over 10,000 acres due to its piecemeal design which is of great concern to Spaldington Parish Council because of the severe potential impact on our residents. We also are very concerned about the effects on the mental health of members of our community both currently and also in the years to come – many residents are already feeling very stressed and worried about the impact on their lives from this ill-thought out application. We urge those responsible for approving this project to consider its full environmental impact on our community before making their decision. We are calling on them not only as residents but as stewards of this land that we all hold dear. Should this development be approved we would urge you to consider applying conditions to protect our Parish, residents and the local environment we hold so special