Land at Hayle Lane, Callington Proposal
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PA11/00774 Site address: Land at Hayle Lane, Callington Proposal: The development of a 5MW solar photovoltaic farm on 17.39 hectares of land close to Callington, along with attendant equipment and infrastructure Parish: Callington Town Council Applicant: Mr Mike Rutgers Mrs Joanna Taylor (Objects) Comment submitted Wed 06 Apr 2011 Callington Town Council recommend the application for refusal. Mrs Janet Gorman (Objects) Comment submitted Thu 31 Mar 2011 Will take up 44 acres of (food prodicing) farm land Mrs J Hextall (Objects) Comment submitted Mon 28 Mar 2011 Objection received 23.03.2011 Messers J C Packer (Objects) Comment submitted Wed 23 Mar 2011 I wish to object to the above application on the grounds that it is an unwarranted, unnecessary and unwanted intrusion into the countryside. The proposal may be beneficial in providing green energy, but is an industrial development which should be sited accordingly. Your planning policies would not permit a factory to be sited in this location; why should this be considered? Mr Andrew Selleck (Objects) Comment submitted Wed 23 Mar 2011 I write to formally object to the application as submitted on the following grounds representing my family in ownership of land to the east and north east of Bearland Bridge Cottage immediately adjacent to the application site. I would ask why the Council has not written us as owners of land immediately adjacent to this vast planning proposal, I was only informed by word of mouth, as the application site adjoins our familly's land for most of the north and east boundary. I would have thought that the Council would have considered us an interested party and sent us notification of the application but am informed you only write to householders. I am not objecting to the principal of the application as it is not my business to interfere with our neighbouring land owner's activities if the proposal can be satisfactorily implemented, however the detail of the application I object to as I cannot see that the application as submitted will not adversly affect our enjoyment of our land and the neighboring occupants of houses on Haye Lane and potentially the whole of the area of Callington if sufficient attention is not given to the following areas:- The layout of the apparatus- Currently it will not be satisfactorily screened from the immediately adjacent Cornwall Nature Conservation site The maintenance of the apparatus The long term removal of the apparatus and reinstatement of the land or replacement of it. I fear that if this site falls derelict at the end of it's economic life span it will be an eyesore. The 8ft (2.440M) security fence appears to be proposed on the boundary between our land to the north and east, this is also a scenic public footpath which is accessed directly off Haye Lane through to Bearland Bridge. This type of hard landscaping in such a recognised beautiful location is inappropriate and is also likely to cast a shadow for much of the day over these ancient hedgerows which have significant flora and forna within them. I would propose that the security fencing is moved a minimum distance of 10m away from each boundary and is satisfactorily screened with indigenous hedging plants which would add to, not detract from the landscape. I would be concerned that the attendant equipment and infrastructure will become a noise nuisance to adjoining residents, the humming of transformers and substations in this locality should be satisfactorily suppressed following an acoustic survey to no more than the current background noise level. I am concerned that Callington will be blighted by solar glare off the panels, steps should be taken to demonstrate that this will not be an intrusion into the natural landscape. I trust that this representation will be seen as constructive criticism and will lead to a scheme that can be well integrated within the landscape. Mr Angus Dawe (Objects) Comment submitted Wed 23 Mar 2011 I am writing to express my opposition to the planned solar energy development in Callington, Cornwall (planning application PA11/00774). I was appalled to learn of this during my current stay in the area. Although I do not normally reside in the UK, I come to the Callington area regularly on vacation and I am very familiar with the exact location of the planned development. The vast area that is proposed to be covered with photovoltaic cells would be an immense blot on the landscape, visible from popular hiking areas in the immediate area such as Kit Hill. The reflective nature of these devices means that there is no way to disguise or camouflage their location. Thus, the view from Kit Hill and other locations in the vicinity would inevitably be greatly compromised. Furthermore, the houses along the road to Launceston in the area of Kelly Bray will be able to look down on the cells, thus ruining the pastoral setting and negatively affecting local house prices. It may seem odd for someone who lives 5000 miles away to present in interest in this development, but I do so as a concerned regular visitor who routinely comes to the area with his family. We come here precisely because it is not a typical holiday resort, we enjoy the pleasant local surroundings and find the location immensely convenient for accessing other parts of the region. However, if this development were to proceed, the disruption to the precise reasons why the Callington area is attractive to us would be such that our plans for future visits would be jeopardized. The development is proposed to run alongside public rights of way that will be irrevocably damaged in terms of the potential enjoyment of the countryside by residents and visitors alike. On my many visits to the area over the last 15 years, one thing that is not obvious is why north Cornwall would make a suitable location for a solar farm. As beautiful and peaceful as the local scenery is, excessive sunshine is not normally part of the equation. These photovoltaic cells are vastly more efficient in areas that receive nearly continuous bright sunshine. Not surprisingly, these are much more common in the area I usually live, southern New Mexico, which receives 350 sunny days a year. The result is that the area has to be vast to make the investment worthwhile in terms of energy production. This just does not make sense. The region would be better off concerning itself with the development of alternative energy sources that actually suit the local climate and terrain. While there may be some small benefit to the individual farmer who leases the field space, this cannot begin to compensate for the broader losses to the wider community in terms of house values and lost tourist revenue. Beyond the monetary concerns, I do not believe that the proposed development could bring anything but a large negative effect on the immediate environment. Covering such a huge area will inevitably affect plant and animal distribution with potentially critical effects on the local ecology. I appreciate that Cornwall Council has afforded interested parties the opportunity to present opinions on this matter and I hope that after reviewing the comments of myself and others this planning permission will be rejected. Mrs Sharon Ann Jackson (Objects) Comment submitted Wed 23 Mar 2011 I object to planning application number PA11/00774 based on the following 1. The environmental impact: the proposal is not in keeping with the surrounding environment. 2. The loss of green field agricultural land to industrial scale development. 3. The less than efficient use of available brown field sites for the production of solar energy. 4. This is not a sustainable development. 5. The danger posed by increase traffic along access roads no wider than seven foot in places 6. Lack of appropriate consultation. Mr And Mrs Margaret And Paul Taylor (Objects) Comment submitted Wed 23 Mar 2011 It has been brought to our attention that there is a planning application for a 17.39Ha development for a solar photovoltaic farm in Haye Lane, Callington. We would like to strongly object to this proposal due to the following :- 1. The roads are not adequate to cope with the increased traffic during the development of this site and afterwards. 2. It will be visible to most of Callington but residents will not benefit in any way. 3. We live on the lower slopes of Kit Hill (an area of outstanding natural beauty) and do not think that a vast area of solar panels would enhance the view. 4. Has the health of nearby Haye residents been taken into consideration should there be an accident on site. The lights from the All Weather Pitch at Callington College can be seen for miles around and the sun reflecting on the solar panels will be equally visible. You only have to look at the plastic sheeting used by farmers to help their crop to know how it shines in the sun! Is there not a disused quarry which could house the solar farm in order that it is not an eyesore? Ms Margaret Allchin (Objects) Comment submitted Mon 21 Mar 2011 I've just been made aware of a proposed scheme to build an enormous solar farm on agricultural land at Haye Lane, about a mile from my home. I'm extremely concerned about the impact this will have. Apart from the issue of it being an eyesore, I have no idea of the health and safety implications, or traffic problems that might arise (Haye Lane is a one-track country lane, unsuitable for large vehicles or increased volume of traffic).