SOLAR FARM - LATEST NEWS

The application for an industrial-sized solar farm alongside the “The Drift” and Heathfield-to-Thriplow footpaths is back on the South Cambs District Council (SCDC) planning agenda on 3 December 2014.

It was deferred by planners on 5 November following a letter from the eminent environmental lawyer Richard Buxton (www.richardbuxton.co.uk/), in which he:

·      Challenged SCDC about the lack of a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) relating to this application.
·      Questioned why the potential environmental damage that would be caused by this huge development  had  NOT been fully assessed.
·      Demanded that the potential risk of distraction to pilots of low flying aircraft - highlighted by both SCDC Planning Officers and the Imperial War Museum  - be properly assessed

Since the November meeting, THREE MORE large-scale solar farms have since been given the go-ahead in South Cambs, despite the fact that one of South Cambs own planners has expressed concern of the “cumulative impact” of so many solar farms in our district (more than 20 are now either built or planned).

“South Cambs has been named Britain’s solar farm capital…” Cambridge News , 23 June 2014

The Residents Against Thriplow Solar plant (RATS) group is not against solar energy – but enough is enough. There can surely be no justification for this blot on the landscape on Green Belt land. We have a real opportunity to STOP this development, but we need more letters of objection to go to SCDC.

The concrete Heathfield-to-Thriplow path, that we helped to pay for, is one of the very few amenities that are available to residents of Heathfield, Pepperslade, Hurdles Way & Ringstone. The decision is in the balance for 3rd December, we think the above is a very strong argument to reject the application, we have had 46 objection letters so far and your input could make a significant difference. Therefore if you don’t want this industrial site on our green belt land and obstructing views from our 2 paths for the next 25 years and you are concerned about the impact of this development, please email karen.pell-coggins@PROTECTED NOW and register your objection.