Representation by Elaine Husselby
- Date submitted
- 8 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Hello, I would like to object to the plans for the site off Locksway Road in the old St James' Hospital grounds. There will be so much disruption to the already busy, congested queued up roads, over polluted, over populated area that the local people should not have to endure. Local wildlife in the area will lose their homes (and potentially lives). Portsmouth is a small over populated island with a lack of space and clean air; any new building work, energy stations, roads unnecessarily being disrupted and dug up etc need to be limited and as much as possible done outside of the island. The much needed bus route servicing the area between Baffins, Milton and the city will be disrupted, roads will be dug up causing more gridlocks in an area already queued up and busy and already deemed to have unsafe air quality. ------------------- I would like to understand why Portsmouth has been so inappropriately chosen for the cables. It is not only a small island but one of the most densely populated cities in the country and putting the cables through/along major roads seems pure stupidity. The city can not cope with the amount of traffic so how will it cope with roads being dug up. With only three roads on and off the island (and it often being gridlocked if there is an accident) then how will it cope with the roads being closed/narrowed/ dug up. You are quoting around 66 weeks for the work to take place - we all know that these things have delays and take longer. Portsmouth is currently experiencing major problems with poor air quality. The area where the cables are due to be laid has taken part in surveys and has shown to have unacceptable levels of pollution. We know that this can reduce life expectancy and produce a range of poor health. With traffic queued up as a result of the roads being dug up this will only get worse. There are real issues with bus routes and some of the roads (Locksway Road, Furze Lane, Eastern Road) will be greatly affected by the plans to lay these cables. Community events and people will be greatly disrupted. There are sewage pipes in Langstone Harbour - if we have to endure the cables in our area then why is this not the permitted route rather than disrupting already busy, populated roads. In fact, why are we having this energy from France when we should be looking as a country to produce our own renewable energy?!