STOP POLLARDS SOLAR FARM
ACT NOW and write your OBJECTIONS to the planning application for Pollards solar farm to save 201 acres of rural East Sussex.
If you have already written please OBJECT AGAIN
You can help by emailing your objection to: planning@wealden.gov.uk with the Planning Ref: WD/2021/2617/MEA
- continued objection to the planning application where Scottish Power Renewables state that they have considered all of our objections and have come back with some alterations made in their Public Response Document and Addendums of 18th November 2022. These alterations in no way address the damaging impact of the proposed development
- cumulative impact of plan. The proposal is a wholly inappropriate cumulative intrusion - within a 6km radius we will have over 333 acres of solar panels (Berwick Solar Farm, Cuckmere community farm, Wilbees, Natewood and Kittyhawk Farm Darp Lane)
- close proximity of the solar panels to Claverham Manor, a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade II listed building and Mount Pleasant Farm also Grade II listed. This proposal will cause harm to Claverham Manor, a designated heritage asset of the highest significance and its local environment. National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) upholds the ‘Conserving and Enhancing the History Environment” - this planning proposal will have a major adverse impact on the landscape of the Low Weald.
- Historic England raise concerns on the harm this proposal will have on Claverham Manor a Scheduled Monument. The visuals supplied by Scottish Power to mitigate the moderate impact at year 10… are in fact shown in Summer with full leaf cover. The same view in the winter will be a very stark picture - these solar panels will be visible from high vantage points of the South Downs National Park and the High Weald.
- Open rolling views of the Downs from the public rights of way that cross the proposed site will be obscured by the 2m high security fencing and hedges that will be maintained at 1.8 to 2m high. It will be a very unpleasant experience walking through these fields (like walking through a prison yard) which will damage local tourism in the area. We know how long it takes for a hedge to grow…. Year 10 growth of deciduous trees will be minimal compared to the current ancient oak trees that are 100s of years old. These ancient oak trees don’t obscure these fields from the Downs now so the new proposed hedges certainly won’t. Scottish Power Renewables underestimate the views on the local landscape.
- Ecology impact: questionable how the biodiversity net gain is calculated? Open pasture will be covered with fields of PV solar panels, 2m high palisade security fencing, infrastructure to support 37 inverter ’shipping containers’, concrete bases and a substation yet this is deemed a positive biodiversity net gain. A net gain would propose the owl will have more space to hunt and the skylark more habitats to nest… hard to imagine when met with PV solar panels and security fencing
- No plans included on how Scottish Power Renewables plan to connect the power produced to the National Grid and this is deemed outside of the current application. Wealden District Council letter 30th November 2020 states the ‘cumulative impact of the solar panels is very much a factor in assessing the merits of the development’ - there are too many solar farms already; the grid does not have any local capacity.
- Arlington, Chalvington with Ripe, Selmeston and Alciston Parish Councils all object to this proposed solar farm.
Thank you if you have emailed your OBJECTION previously and now is time to email in again regarding your continued objection.
Please email before 31st January 2023
We have over 870 signatures on the petition to STOP Pollards Solar Farm - sign up if you have not already and please spread the word: https://chng.it/hfWcqRGj