Written Representations

PLANNING ACT 2008 (AS AMENDED) INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (EXAMINATION PROCEDURE) RULES 2010 (AS AMENDED)

SUBJECT: TRITON KNOLL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM APPLICANT: TRITON KNOLL OFFSHORE WIND FARM LTD LOCATION: ANDERBY CREEK TO BICKER FEN

SUMMARY OF WRITTEN REPRESENTATIONS

INTERESTED PARTY: EAST LINDSEY DISTRICT COUNCIL (ELDC) TEDDER HALL MANBY PARK MANBY, LOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE LN11 8UP

PLANNING INSPECTORATE REF:- EN020019 OUR REF: TRIT-0009 DATE: 21st SEPTEMBER 2015

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Set out below are the written representations of East Lindsey District Council. Where appropriate, reference is made to the Local Impact Report and to avoid a lengthy statement, there are appendices. The appendices comprise the relevant policies (A4,A5 and C15) of the extant Local Plan together with explanatory paragraphs, extracts from the Council’s Draft Core Strategy which contains policies relating to Landscape, Heritage and Renewable Energy, and extracts from the Council’s Landscape Character Assessment produced by Messrs Ecus and which has been adopted as guidance in the decision making process. The route passes through 5 character areas, namely K1, J1, I1, B1 and A1.

1.2 National Policy Statements EN1 and EN3 are particularly relevant, but also material to this proposal is the NPPF and the suite of Policy Guidance. Underpinning East Lindsey’s concerns is paragraph 5.9.18 of EN1.

1.3 In terms of the NPPF, East Lindsey draw the Panel’s attention in particular to paragraphs 17 (Core Principles), 109, 114, 116, and 123.

1.4 In the Council’s LIR it was made clear that these written representations would concentrate on four issues. They are; a) Landscape impact (including background to site selection) b) Tourism impact c) Project specific impact i) Coastal grazing marsh project ii) Country Park d) Sibsey Northside Memorial

1.9 Following on from these points, reference will be made to the Viking Link, a (relatively) recent addition to the equation, being an interconnector between Denmark and the UK.

2.0 LANDSCAPE IMPACT

2.1 East Lindsey values its landscape character and appearance very highly.

2.2 The cable route itself passes through a considerable part of the central and southern part of the district, and crosses 5 landscape character areas. Whilst there will be harmful impacts during construction, from both the physical line itself and the trappings of construction (compounds, haul roads, hedge removal etc) it is felt that the long term impacts of the scheme in Landscape terms would rest with those permanent features created as part of the development.

Landfall site at Anderby Creek

2.3 Whilst in landscape terms works at the landfall site will have no significant harmful impact once completed, the construction period will present issues. The quality of the landscape character and appearance is what draws people to Anderby Creek. Its sense of isolation and ‘getting away from it all’. It lies within the area categorised as K1 – Donna Nook to Gibralter Point Naturalistic Coast.

2.4 In the main statement I have highlighted one or two sentences within the section on Landscape Sensitivity which are particularly apposite for this site. The timescale for the works is indicated as being 13.5 months. There is the potential for noise, artificial lighting, traffic and general activity in an area noted, indeed prized, as part of its high sensitivity to change, for its tranquillity.

2.5 East Lindsey District Council would ask that the Panel seek assurances from the applicants that the 13.5 month indication is a maximum and that due care and empathy be shown during construction to both those who live near to and those who visit the Anderby Creek area.

Intermediate Electrical Compound at Marsh Lane Orby

2.6 The electrical compound will have a permanently harmful impact upon the landscape character and appearance of this area. It introduces an alien, industrial feature into an otherwise rural setting.

2.7 It lies within the area categorised as J1 – Tetney Lock to Skegness Coastal Outmarsh in the LCA. In the main proof I quote from the section on Landscape sensitivity in the Council’s LCA, and highlight matters of particular relevance.

2.8 When the applicants were first searching for a site for the intermediate compound (IEC), the Orby area was on their short list. At that time, East Lindsey objected to the chosen sites as they comprised large alien structures in isolated rural locations, that, because of the terrain, were open to view from distance, thus magnifying the adverse impact.

2.9 The applicants came back with a proposal to locate the IEC on an allocated industrial site that was dormant on Wainfleet Road in Skegness (The Brown Zone). I explain why the site was dismissed in the main statement..

2.10 The applicants moved their search away from the Brown Zone and returned to their originally preferred search area, Marsh Lane, Orby.

2.11 The IEC will contain Above Ground Electrical Infrastructure (AGEI) including a building housing switchgear, busbars, capacitors, reactors, reactive power compensation equipment, filters, cooling equipment, control and welfare buildings and lightning protection rods (if required). A permanent security fence will surround the compound.

2.12 The AGEI will have a total area of up to up to 1.7 ha (4.1 acres) with a.maximum building height of up to 13 m. This maximum height does not include raising for flood protection. Equipment within the compound will be raised by up to 2.1 m to ensure adequate flood protection. This means a total height above existing ground level in the region of 15m.

2.13 There will be a landscaping buffer around the AGEI with an anticipated width of up to 40 m.

2.14 There were 2 particular areas of concern in relation to the IEC.

Traffic at Orby

2.15 The applicants have acknowledged that traffic if routed through Orby village would cause harm. As a result, the development proposes using a haul road from the A158 to the south, thus avoiding the village.

Landscape and visual impact of IEC

2.16 There is no doubt that the IEC will make a major change to the current rural scene.

2.17 The key aspect of the Intermediate Electrical Compound which has the potential to give rise to landscape effects is the presence and height of relatively complex electrical infrastructure.

2.18 Bearing in mind that there is little that can be done to mitigate the scale of the equipment or the raising of the ground level, the principal mitigation works constitute landscaping. This raises 2 issues. The first is that this is a very open landscape with little tree cover. That which there is, tends to be that which either has been left to act as wind break or that which has been planted to screen development. In so doing it has the tendency to draw the eye and draw attention to what is being screened. The second point, and this is acknowledged by the applicants, is that any mitigation planting will take 15 years to become fully effective. The life of the wind farm is 25 years.

3.0 TOURISM IMPACT

3.1 East Lindsey District Council is extremely concerned that there should be no interference with the tourism industry which is the life blood of the coastal communities.

3.2 Reference has already been made to impacts of the construction phase on the Coastal Conservation Area, Coastal Country Park, the attractiveness of Anderby Creek and the Coastal Grazing Marsh Project. Those elements are re-emphasised in any consideration of overall tourism impact.

3.3 East Lindsey are pleased that the developers have listened to traffic concerns. These aspects need to be spelt out in the documentation and the phasing plan agreed.

4.0 PROJECT SPECIFIC IMPACT (CABLE ROUTE)

Coastal Grazing Marsh Project and Country Park

4.1 East Lindsey District as part of its commitment to the local economy and its objective to both broaden visitor appeal and extend the visitor season, supports the aims and objectives of both the Country Park and the Coastal Grazing Marsh Project. Whilst East Lindsey District is not the prime mover in either of these initiatives, they wish to lend their weight to concerns that have been expressed at pre-meetings and in writing. The Country Park is lent policy support by virtue of Policy C15 of the extant East Lindsey Local Plan

4.2 In the same way that the landfall site is affected, there will be significant visual effects along the whole of the cable route for the whole of the construction period. The cable route passes through the Coastal Country Park and the areas that have been flagged for the Coastal Grazing Marsh Project. Again, ELDC will require reassurance and guarantees that adequate mitigation is contained within the scheme to ensure that the purposes of the Country Park and the aims, aspirations and objectives of the Grazing Marsh Project are not prejudiced or diminished. .

5.0 SIBSEY NORTHSIDE MEMORIAL

5.1 It came to our attention, quite late in the day, the circumstances of the crash which is marked by the Sibsey Northside Memorial. It is hoped that representatives of the Memorial Trust will be able to attend the Panel Hearing and/or make written representations.

5.2 What is explained in the main statement can only be a snapshot of their concerns, but is set down for the Panel to ensure that they are cognisant of the issue and of East Lindsey’s support for the Trust’s position.

5.3 East Lindsey is of the view that a section of the cable route should be diligently searched, with the County archaeologist in attendance, prior to any major trenching works being undertaken. That work needs to be undertaken with care and respect.

6.0 VIKING LINK

6.1 East Lindsey District Council has been made aware during the earlier part of 2015 that there is to be an application for an interconnector between Denmark and the UK known as the Viking Link. Whilst we have heard from the company at the PIM that there will not be a planning application made before the determination of this DCO application, all parties are well aware that the landfall proposed is likely to be at or near to Anderby Creek and the grid connection will be at Bicker Fen (consent having been granted). That means that the cable route for the Viking Link is highly likely to follow the same cable route as that for Triton Knoll. The constraints acting upon each company will be the same and as such the analysis and conclusions are likely to be the same.

6.2 The question will be asked, by the man in the street, ‘why don’t they use the same hole?’ There will be a cumulative impact on both the environment, the tourism industry and the agricultural industry which is set out in the main statement. In the submissions to be heard by the panel, we ask that considerable pressure be put on both the applicants and those responsible for the Viking Link to work together to save both time, money and in this submission, face. We wait to see the responses to the Panel’s questions.

PLANNING ACT 2008 (AS AMENDED) INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (EXAMINATION PROCEDURE) RULES 2010 (AS AMENDED)

SUBJECT: TRITON KNOLL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM APPLICANT: TRITON KNOLL OFFSHORE WIND FARM LTD LOCATION: ANDERBY CREEK TO BICKER FEN

WRITTEN REPRESENTATIONS

INTERESTED PARTY: EAST LINDSEY DISTRICT COUNCIL (ELDC) TEDDER HALL MANBY PARK MANBY, LOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE LN11 8UP

PLANNING INSPECTORATE REF:- EN020019 OUR REF: TRIT-0009 DATE: 15th SEPTEMBER 2015

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Following the preliminary meeting held in Skegness on 3rd September 2015, the Examining Authority wrote to East Lindsey District Council on 11th September 2015 setting out the procedural decisions made in respect of the forthcoming Hearing into the application.

1.2 The letter invited all interested parties to submit written representations and evidence.

1.3 Set out below are the written representations of East Lindsey District Council. Where appropriate, reference is made to the Local Impact Report and to avoid a lengthy statement, there are appendices bound separately. The appendices comprise the relevant policies (A4,A5 and C15) of the extant Local Plan together with explanatory paragraphs, extracts from the Council’s Draft Core Strategy which contains policies relating to Landscape, Heritage and Renewable Energy, and extracts from the Council’s Landscape Character Assessment produced by Messrs Ecus and which has been adopted as guidance in the decision making process. The route passes through 5 character areas, namely K1, J1, I1, B1 and A1. The route passes through the following East Lindsey wards - Alford, Chapel St Leonards, Willoughby with Sloothby, Ingoldmells, Burgh le Marsh, Croft, Wainfleet, Friskney.

1.4 In addition to the Development Plan and supporting documents, of material importance to this hearing is Central Government policy. National Policy Statements EN1 and EN3 are particularly relevant, but also material to this proposal is the NPPF and the suite of Policy Guidance. Underpinning East Lindsey’s concerns is paragraph 5.9.18 of EN1 which states;

5.9.18 All proposed energy infrastructure is likely to have visual effects for many receptors around proposed sites. The IPC will have to judge whether the visual effects on sensitive receptors, such as local residents, and other receptors, such as visitors to the local area, outweigh the benefits of the project. Coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to visual intrusion because of the potential high visibility of development on the foreshore, on the skyline and affecting views along stretches of undeveloped coast.

1.5 In terms of the NPPF, whilst it is important to be read and considered as a whole, East Lindsey draw the Panel’s attention in particular to paragraphs 17 (Core Principles), 109, 114, 116, and 123.

1.6 On 14th July 2015 a report was placed before East Lindsey District Council’s Executive Board where the content was accepted. That report forms the basis of these representations.

1.7 Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm Ltd (TWOWFL) proposes to develop the Triton Knoll Electrical System (the ‘proposed development’) in order to connect the Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm (TKOWF), for which consent was granted by the Secretary of State in July 2013, to the existing National Grid substation at Bicker Fen, Boston, Lincolnshire.

1.8 In the Council’s LIR it was made clear that these written representations would concentrate on four issues. They are; a) Landscape impact (including background to site selection) b) Tourism impact c) Project specific impact i) Coastal grazing marsh project ii) Country Park d) Sibsey Northside Memorial

1.9 Following on from these points, reference will be made to the Viking Link, a (relatively) recent addition to the equation, being an interconnector between Denmark and the UK.

2.0 LANDSCAPE IMPACT

2.1 East Lindsey values its landscape character and appearance very highly. This is evidenced in the fact that they were one of the first districts in Lincolnshire to commission a landscape character assessment. The relevant extracts of this are attached as appendices to this statement. The Local Plan and NPPF contain Policies (see 1.3 above) which are relevant to landscape impact.

Landfall site at Anderby Creek

Donna Nook to Gibraltar Point Naturalistic Coast is a highly distinctive and very intact natural landscape with very few detractors. It has a high level of nature conservation protection across large areas. It is a very open and exposed landscape, screened on its inland side only by the dunes and sea defences which separate it from Tetney Lock to Skegness Coastal Outmarsh. Therefore any future changes in this area would be highly visible. The landscape is highly valued by a moderate number of sensitive viewers in the nature conservation areas such as Gibraltar Point, Saltfleetby and Theddlethorpe Dunes and Donna Nook, and a high number of sensitive viewers near the busy coastal resorts. In general terms development would not be in keeping with the landscape character, and would not be considered to be appropriate for this area. Landscape and visual impacts could not be easily mitigated for. Any development should be extremely sensitive to the naturalistic state of the landscape and also to the habitats and vegetation types that are unique to the area. Green architecture may be appropriate but only on a very small scale, and situated close to the existing screening elements of the sand dunes and sea defences. The potential effects on

tranquillity and dark night skies should also be taken into account when deciding upon the appropriateness of development within this landscape character area. The overall landscape character sensitivity of Donna Nook to Gibraltar Point Naturalistic Coast is considered to be high.

2.4 I have highlighted one or two sentences within that section which are particularly apposite for this site. The timescale for the works is indicated as being 13.5 months. Within that time, the character of the beach and dunes will be the subject of harmful change. There is the potential for noise, artificial lighting, traffic and general activity in an area noted, indeed prized, as part of its high sensitivity to change, for its tranquillity.

Intermediate Electrical Compound at Marsh Lane Orby

2.7 It lies within the area categorised as J1 – Tetney Lock to Skegness Coastal Outmarsh. The section on Landscape sensitivity in the Council’s LCA states

Tetney Lock to Skegness Coastal Outmarsh is mostly a very intact and distinctive rural landscape. However this distinctiveness is weaker where some man-made influences detract from the landscape. The enclosure varies from wide and open to a moderate level of enclosure created by very gently undulating landform and mature tree shelter belts. Existing tree shelter belts in the rural areas may help to create a moderate level of screening for future changes. The landscape around the coastal resorts is viewed by a large

number of sensitive viewers but there are fewer viewers in the rural areas. There is some potential for reducing landscape and visual impacts as described below. Development should be sensitively designed to respect the small scale localised distinctiveness within the rural areas and be sensitive to any small scale, patterns and characteristics of the area. These include the drainage network, historic features and the distinctive small villages with predominantly traditional building materials. Development within and on the edges of the coastal resorts should also take into consideration the historic features and distinctiveness of the surrounding countryside, possibly using tree and hedgerow planting as screening in keeping with the existing character. The location of new developments should take advantage of the existing screening provided by settlements, tree cover and hedgerows, and should be concentrated around existing settlements to prevent further loss of the rural landscape. The overall landscape character sensitivities of the adjacent character areas should also be taken into account when deciding upon the appropriateness of development within this landscape character area as well as the potential effects on tranquillity and dark night skies. The overall landscape character sensitivity of Tetney Lock to Skegness Coastal Outmarsh is considered to be moderate to high but lower in areas influenced by localised industrial and urban areas.

2.9 The applicants came back with a proposal to locate the IEC on an allocated industrial site that was dormant on Wainfleet Road in Skegness (The Brown Zone). Although issues surrounding the potential for noise disturbance were never fully explored, within a very short time of the publication of the proposed site a ‘Vision for Skegness’ began to be promoted with the active support of the County Council, together with a leisure proposal on the likely site of the IEC. Their involvement, which means a new link road to relieve congestion in Skegness Town Centre, gave

the scheme considerable weight, and was something of which East Lindsey are fully supportive.

2.10 However, in the light of these new initiatives the applicants moved their search away from the Brown Zone and returned to their original preferred search area, Marsh Lane, Orby.

2.11 The site finally chosen by them is between the corn store and Skegness stadium, on the south side of Marsh Lane Orby.

2.12 The IEC will contain Above Ground Electrical Infrastructure (AGEI) including a building housing switchgear, busbars, capacitors, reactors, reactive power compensation equipment, filters, cooling equipment, control and welfare buildings and lightning protection rods (if required). A permanent security fence will surround the compound.

2.13 The AGEI will have a total area of up to up to 1.7 ha (4.1 acres) will be located on a levelled hard-standing, with bunding to be used to prevent contamination from oil leakages where necessary.

2.14 A maximum building height of up to 13 m - although the majority of the AGEI within the site will be lower than this. This maximum height does not include additional height required for critical equipment raising for flood protection or site raising required to create a stable base. Critical equipment within the AGEI compound will be raised by up to 2.1 m above to ensure adequate flood protection. This means a total height above existing ground level in the region of 15m.

2.15 There will be a landscaping buffer around the AGEI with an anticipated width of up to 40 m.

2.16 There were 2 particular areas of concern in relation to the IEC, The first, traffic during construction, has been overcome and the second relates to the landscape and visual impact

Traffic at Orby

2.17 The applicants have acknowledged that traffic if routed through Orby village would cause harm. As a result, the development proposes using a haul road from the A158 to the south, thus avoiding the village.

Landscape and visual impact of IEC

2.18 There is no doubt that the IEC will make a major change to the current rural scene.

2.19 When the search was underway for a new site following the rejection of Skegness, the ELDC response stated : The site is in open countryside, but adjoins existing buildings and development. To the east lies the Skegness stadium and to the west lies a grain store. As such, the key issues here will relate to impact on visual amenity and landscape character. The site appears, when one views the ordnance survey plan, to be a reasonable infill between the two building complexes. However, on site, there is a reasonable gap between the two which provides a separation sufficient for them not to be read together. Furthermore, the grain store is something that one might expect to see in the countryside. Although the stadium is somewhat of an ‘erratic’ in the landscape, this compound with its ‘industrial’ feel will, on its own, or in combination with other buildings, be visually jarring in the landscape. The filling of that gap with the intermediate reactive compound would to my mind be a harmful consolidation, drawing attention to both the compound itself and the existing development. Rather than diminishing the landscape character impact it would magnify it. The location close to the road exacerbates that impression.

2.20 The key aspect of the Intermediate Electrical Infrastructure Compound which has the potential to give rise to landscape effects is the presence of relatively complex electrical infrastructure specifically located within the Above Ground Electrical Infrastructure compound on the site. In consideration of the scale of the proposed development, there will be four narrow lightning conductors located around the site which will be up to 18 m above ground level. The tallest element of the main part of

the proposed development will be the GIS building, which will be a maximum of 13 m in height. It should also be noted that the site levels will be raised by approximately 2.1 m AOD, which means that the highest point on the GIS building will be approximately 15.1 m above the existing ground level.

2.21 Bearing in mind that the compound will be on site and there is little that can be done to mitigate the scale of the equipment or the raising of the ground level, the principal mitigation works constitute landscaping. This raises 2 issues. The first is that this is a very open landscape with little tree cover. That which there is, tends to be that which either has been left to act as wind break or that which has been planted to screen development. In so doing it has the tendency to draw the eye and draw attention to what is being screened. It is an alien feature in the landscape rather than being a natural feature. The second point, and this is acknowledged by the applicants, is that any mitigation planting will take 15 years to become fully effective. The life of the wind farm is 25 years.

2.22 This is a case where the balance has to be drawn between the harm that will be caused by this alien development and the benefits that will accrue from the overall scheme in terms of renewable energy.

3.0 TOURISM IMPACT

3.1 East Lindsey District Council is extremely concerned that there should be no interference with the tourism industry which is the life blood of the coastal communities.

3.2 Reference has already been made to the comfort that East Lindsey require in respect of the impact that the construction phase will have on the Coastal Conservation Area, Coastal Country Park, the community and attractiveness to tourists of Anderby Creek and the empathy with the aims and objectives of the Coastal Grazing Marsh Project. Those elements are re-emphasised in any consideration of overall tourism impact.

3.3 From the outset, East Lindsey has consistently argued for there to be no interruption of the free flow of traffic to and from the coast.

3.4 East Lindsey are pleased that the developers have listened to those concerns of the Council in earlier responses. In respect of the impact of road works on the tourist economy of East Lindsey, it has been confirmed that no roads will be closed as a result of the cable installation; all road crossings will be by means of horizontal directional drilling; HGV’s will also be barred from the Orby route, safeguarding the amenities of villagers. These aspects need to be spelt out in the documentation and the phasing plan agreed.

4.0 PROJECT SPECIFIC IMPACT (CABLE ROUTE)

Coastal Grazing Marsh Project and Country Park

Policy C15 Coastal Conservation Areas - CCA2 and CCA3

Within CCA2 and CCA3 development will be permitted only where: a) it is essential in that location; or b) it relates to an existing outdoor informal recreational use; or c) it represents a minor extension to an existing building; and, in all cases: it does not harm the amenities or character of the area because of its siting, scale, form, appearance, materials, noise or fume emissions or traffic generation.

ELDC will require reassurance and guarantees that adequate mitigation is contained within the scheme to ensure that the purposes of the Country Park and the aims, aspirations and objectives of the Grazing Marsh Project are not prejudiced or diminished. 4.3 East Lindsey District Council ask that the panel seek assurances from the applicants regarding the timescales for the work and that appropriate levels of remediation and where necessary, compensation, be made in respect of disturbance.

5.0 SIBSEY NORTHSIDE MEMORIAL

5.1 East Lindsey has a proud connection with Bomber Command and there is a considerable legacy within the district from WWII.

5.2 It came to our attention, quite late in the day, the circumstances of the crash which is marked by the Sibsey Northside Memorial. It is hoped that representatives of the Memorial Trust will be able to attend the Panel Hearing and/or make written representations.

5.3 What is explained here can only be a snapshot of their concerns, but is set down for the Panel to ensure that they are cognisant of the issue and of East Lindsey’s support for the Trust’s position.

5.4 The memorial field marks the spot where a Lancaster bomber crashed, killing all on board. Only one body was recovered. The memorial is also therefore a war grave.

5.5 We are advised that there was an explosion and debris, including an airman’s tunic, were distributed beyond the memorial field itself. Bearing in mind the proximity of the cable route to the field, there is the possibility of debris, including ordnance, being within the cable corridor.

5.6 East Lindsey is of the view that a section of the cable route should be diligently searched, with the County archaeologist in attendance, prior to any major trenching works being undertaken. That work needs to be undertaken with care and respect.

6.0 VIKING LINK

6.2 Whilst we accept that the 2 schemes are not connected, the impression that will be given to the man in the street if these 2 schemes go ahead perhaps only weeks or months apart, using the same route, will be that the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. It will be like the many tales we have seen nationwide regarding roads that are dug up time after time by different utility companies. The question will be asked, why don’t they use the same hole? There will be a cumulative impact on both the environment, the tourism industry and the agricultural industry. In the submissions to be heard by the panel, we ask that considerable pressure be put on both the applicants and those responsible for the Viking Link to work together to save both time, money and in this submission, face. We wait to see the responses to the Panel’s questions.

Cumulative impact on the environment

6.3 In essence the concerns that have been expressed above regarding the Triton Knoll scheme and its effect on landscape, namely timescale, noise, disturbance etc will be perhaps doubled by the Viking Link project not running alongside the Triton Knoll scheme. The population of East Lindsey will have had months of disturbance and with the Viking Link, those months will turn into years.

Cumulative impact on the Tourism industry

6.4 The doubling of environmental impact as mentioned above is echoed by concerns regarding the Tourism industry. The district will be blighted by not just one, but two major infrastructure schemes that will have a harmful impact upon the tourist economy of Anderby Creek, impact harmfully upon the Country Park and hamper the efforts of the team trying to foster the Grazing Marsh Project. Surely something can be done to bring these two projects together somehow. If they are developed in sequence (ie one after the other) how long will that harm last?

Cumulative impact upon agricultural production

6.5 Lincolnshire’s countryside is the one of the most productive areas of the UK for food production. The Panel heard at the PIM the clamour being expressed by the farming lobby and the implications for loss of production. If the Viking Link follows close on the heels of Triton Knoll, that clamour will become a roar which I am sure will be supported by both local and national government.