Devon Voice Newsletter - Winter 2021 Photograph © Joe Ashworth Welcome to our Winter Newsletter Many of us have now endured months project and is not without controversy. of lockdown and other restrictions on Devon CPRE remains largely neutral on our movements, to a lesser or greater this subject but, to paraphrase Oscar degree, and it is strange to be beginning Wilde, solutions to complex problems the new year still unsure as to when we are “rarely pure and never simple” and can return to something like our old we continue to urge that all important normal routines. factors, both positive and negative, are However, we are now living in an age fully acknowledged and taken into when technology enables us to account when such important planning continue to meet and campaign and we were very pleased to welcome so many decisions are made, decisions which of you to our first virtual AGM, where we directly affect many people living in were also joined by James Lindsay who Devon. We look forward to hearing your is one of the trustees of national CPRE comments on the article. and lives and works in Devon. We were so impressed by the very high We are delighted to welcome Nick standard of the entries to our children’s Whitsun-Jones to our team of Trustees. art competition last year that we used Nick was previously a Trustee of CPRE the best pictures to illustrate our first Somerset and brings with him a wealth ever calendar. However, we still have of experience. several 2021 calendars left, so if you Our campaigning has carried on almost would like one please contact us. unhindered, and if the government had We are always happy to hear from our hoped to take advantage of our members, for help with a planning issue restricted movements to push through near you, but have also decided to go their plans to ‘Build, Build, Build’ then out looking for any small new they were sadly mistaken. It was with great relief that we received the news, developments in Devon that have in an online meeting with Simon Jupp brought about a positive benefit to the MP, that the government had scrapped community. Later in the year, we will be plans for their algorithm to dictate how launching our new Devon's Best Small many houses would be built in each New Development Awards, so if you local authority, but we were dismayed to have any projects or new builds that you learn that it was maintaining the overall would like to commend for being well- housing target. I would like to thank Mr planned, well designed to conserve Jupp for taking the time to meet with us, energy, and which blend in and and we look forward to working more enhance their setting, please let us closely with him in the future. know. In this issue you will find an article Meanwhile I wish a Happy New Year to contributed by Mr John Varley from Clinton Devon Estates about the Lower all our members, and hope to be able to Otter Restoration Project, which has meet up personally with you at some just been permitted by East Devon time in 2021. District Council. This is an ambitious Rebecca Bartleet, Chairman The views expressed in Devon Voice are not necessarily those of Devon CPRE, which welcomes independent comment. 1 News from The East Devon AONB To further this connection between roosts, we’ve now entered into a partnership with Bat Conservation Trust to focus on improving connectivity to the known roosts in Dorset - enhancing foraging and commuting routes to the east of the AONB and into the neighbouring county. The Grey long eared bat needs our Together we made a bid to the help. With as few as 1000 bats, located government’s Green Recovery in 8 main maternity roosts spread Challenge Fund to support our across the south of England, we need collaborative project and help us involve to act now to prevent their extinction in local communities, individuals and the UK. groups in conservation action. Here at the East Devon AONB we’ve We are thrilled to announce that our bid committed to doing the best we can for was successful, and we've secured a this rare mammal locally, by choosing grant for £69K. We're hugely excited the Grey long eared bat as one of our about what it will enable us to achieve ‘special species’ for recovery action, at a time when the need for urgent part of our commitment to nature. action to tackle the decline in Two of the surviving maternity roosts biodiversity has never been greater. are located in East Devon and form a vital link between the colonies in the Find out more at: south of England and the two colonies https://www.eastdevonaonb.org.uk/ret in south Devon. urn-of-the-true-night-rider News from The Blackdown Hills AONB The Connecting the Culm Project Groups are open to anyone with an has begun work on developing a long- interest in the future of the Culm and term masterplan and investment plan include ones covering Nature-Based for the River Culm catchment. Local Solutions, Water Quality and Access. communities are playing a leading role There’s lots more information available in the development of the Plan, at https://connectingtheculm.com/ alongside public bodies and statutory A series of free Workshops are also agencies. A series of Working Groups being organised covering different have been formed and these have started meeting and will feed into a bi- themes, and the next one in the diary is annual Connecting the Culm Forum, “Beavers for the Culm” on 25 February. where the Blueprint will be agreed. All Register your place at: activities are of course being held https://connectingtheculm.com/event/ online for the time being. The Working beavers-for-the-culm/ 2 Huge Solar Farms - Phillip Bratby Several years ago Juergen Grossman, It should be noted that in a press the former boss of German energy release dated October 2014 the company RWE, said that building solar Environment Secretary told us: PV in Germany “makes as much sense “English farmland is some of the best in as growing pineapples in Alaska”. the world and I want to see it dedicated There is less sunshine in England than to growing quality food and crops. I do there is in Germany, so solar power in not want to see its productive potential England also makes no sense. Solar power only makes sense in hot, sunny wasted and its appearance blighted by countries where the electricity solar farms. Farming is what our farms generated can be used to run air- are for and it is what keeps our conditioners. There is already a surfeit landscape beautiful. I am committed to of electricity in England when solar food production in this country and it farms produce most electricity, in the makes my heart sink to see row upon middle of the day in summer. Summer row of solar panels where once there is the time of year when, because of was a field of wheat or grassland for this surfeit of electricity generating livestock to graze.” capacity, power stations take it in turns Devon CPRE completely agrees with to shutdown for their annual “MOT”. these words, but since then, what On average a solar panel in England happened was a huge increase in both only produces about 10% of its peak the number and size of solar farms built capacity. However the uselessness of on farmland. How many times have solar power did not deter developers government ministers promised us one because, starting in 2010, government thing but delivered the opposite? policy was to provide huge subsidies to Despite lots of local opposition, most solar power, with subsidies initially as applications for solar farms in Devon high as ten times the wholesale price of were granted planning permission. The electricity. Between 2010 and 2016, the subsidies, paid for by electricity largest one to date is near consumers through their bills, led to a Pancrasweek in Torridge and covers boom in solar power as developers over 100 acres of good farmland. This rushed to cash in on the huge profits to is the one about which a local councillor be made. In 2015 the government said it would “look like fields of announced that the subsidies would lavender”! You couldn’t make it up! An end in 2016. This led to a final rush to infamous solar farm is in Teignbridge, install solar farms and the boom finally where 50 acres of the Haldon Ridge, an came to and end in 2017. However, by Area of Great Landscape Value close that time a lot of damage had been to Dartmoor, was given planning done and over 5 square miles of permission by a single planning officer, farmland in Devon was covered by without the application even being solar panels. examined, discussed or voted on by the 3 planning committee. True local years. The second one, the Litchardon democracy in action! Cross Solar Farm in North Devon is However, Devon CPRE has had some also going through the planning process. It would also have a capacity notable successes in stopping solar of 49.9MW, would be built on farmland farms. In particular, a planning in several segments on either side of application for a solar farm covering a the A39 (the Atlantic Highway) between quarter of a square mile of farmland in Barnstaple and Bideford, would be North Tawton was withdrawn after huge surrounded by over 7 miles of security local opposition.