Questions / Concerns raised by residents – Knaith Parish Council
- Scale of the development – The largest solar farm to date is in Pakistan and it's not as big as the proposal locally covering the three schemes.
- Solar panels will only be 27% effective. Residents raised concerns over this statistic.
- Will there be buzzing from the battery storage and where will these be placed? Is there likely to be any noise pollution from the site?
- Maintenance of the solar panels, what is the impact after they are installed. With regards the regular washing, what happens to the wastewater from this? Is it recycled or does it go to ground - if so, is there potential for contamination over time from this? Are chemicals used during this process?
- The obligation is to fence around the panels, but could it be hedgerow instead? The fencing off and visual aspects if solar panels were to be installed would turn it into an industrial area as opposed to the landscape that we are used to and that we enjoy.
- What happens at the end of the lease? Does the land revert to agricultural?
- Do Solar Farms affect house prices? Has there been any research undertaken?
- Is there any impact on human health?
- What is the impact on wildlife and the environment? Is the developer already planning any initiatives? At present the area is abundant with many varieties of wildlife; changes to their environment could have devastating effects.
- Bird and insect pollination - will the surrounding flora be affected?
- Are there more suitable sites for the proposed farms? Existing industrial sites becoming vacant or are already redundant. What is the reasoning for the development site?
- Will the land underneath be used for grazing?
- From what we understand trees cannot be cut to make way for the solar panels. Is this the case?
- Concerns about loss of agricultural land for food security, however good or poor quality it is. The landowners have made a living from the poor-quality land for decades and are still growing crops on it.
- Enjoyment of walking routes - it is likely the few walking routes and public paths will be encroached upon by the developments and thus, spoiling the enjoyment of walking in the countryside. How will the development impact the current walking routes?
- Outlook and skyline - how will the developments impact our view of the countryside?
- Construction damage and pollution - what controls will be put in place to ensure the developers refrain from damaging and polluting in and around the development sites with construction waste, litter and plastics?
- Drainage systems - will the controlled drainage systems, ditches and dykes be affected which could have a direct impact on dwelling areas?
- Disruption - how will the developer ensure there is no disruption in the area during the development? I.e., road closures, increased traffic.
- Exclusion zone - why and what is the reasoning for the exclusion zone?
- Development site - is the site likely to be extended, reduced or is it final?
- Installation - will power cables be underground or over ground?
- Re-wilding - is there any plans to re-wild areas that could be impacted on by the development to mitigate potential adverse effects?
- Recreation area (sports field) - is there any opportunity to provide Knaith Park with a small recreation or sports field?
- Broadband - will the developer collaborate with Open Reach to improve broadband speeds in Knaith Park by installing the appropriate technology as part of the development?
- Electricity Supply - can the residents of the affected villages be put on zero tariff electrical supply?
- Is Community funding/mitigation for local projects/improvements available?
- Do the solar panels cause any issue for aircrafts?
- Climate change - can the developer provide other climate change initiatives to assist residents to become greener in their own dwellings.
- Scheme motivated by money and because of the Government’s Climate Change Agenda these projects are likely to be granted with no concerns about the impact on local areas.
- Do the farmers, whose land has been highlighted as proposed sites, get a choice in whether their land is used?
- Why can’t housing be used as opposed farm/food production land?
- If the development is approved, what are the developers’ obligations (as part of the DCO approval), for the returning of the land to its original state after the planned lifecycle end of the development? What assurances are there that the land will not be automatically considered as suitable for further developments (in whatever guise)?