CLEVE HILL SOLAR PARK THE APPLICANT'S RESPONSES TO SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED AT DEADLINE 3 August 2019 Revision A Document Reference: 12.3.1 Submitted: Deadline 4 www.clevehillsolar.com Responses to Written Representations Received at Deadline 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 2 Stakeholder Organisation Written Representations and The Applicant’s Responses 2 2.1 REP3-049 Canterbury City Council .......................................................................... 2 2.2 REP3-050 Faversham and Swale East Branch Labour Party ....................................... 5 2.3 REP3-054 Kent County Council on behalf of Kent County Council, Swale Borough Council and Canterbury City Council .............................................................................. 12 2.4 REP3-055 Swale Borough Council ......................................................................... 26 2.5 REP3-056 Swale Borough Council ......................................................................... 27 2.6 REP3-062 CPRE Kent (Biodiversity) ....................................................................... 30 2.7 REP3-063 CPRE Kent (Aviation Glare) ................................................................... 36 2.8 REP3-064 CPRE Kent (Construction Traffic) ........................................................... 38 2.9 REP3-065 CPRE Kent (Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration) ........................... 41 2.10 REP3-066 Faversham Creek Trust ......................................................................... 43 2.11 REP3-067 Faversham & Oare Heritage Harbour Group ............................................ 46 2.12 REP3-069 The Faversham Society ......................................................................... 49 2.13 REP3-070 The Faversham Society ......................................................................... 56 2.14 REP3-076 Helen Whately MP ................................................................................ 59 2.15 REP3-079 Kent Wildlife Trust ............................................................................... 61 2.16 REP3-082 Natural England ................................................................................... 63 3 Other Written Representations By members of the Public and The Applicant’s Responses ................................................................................................................ 72 3.1 REP2-072 / REP3-057 Bob Gomes (Ornithology) .................................................... 72 3.2 REP2-060 / REP3-058 Dr Bruno Erasin (Agricultural Land Classification) ................... 83 3.3 REP3-059 Dr Bruno Erasin (Environmental Risks from the Battery Storage System) ... 94 3.4 REP3-081 Matthew Hatchwell (Ecosystem Services, Managed Realignment and European Eel) ............................................................................................................. 95 3.5 REP3-083 Penelope Geoghegan ............................................................................ 98 3.6 REP3-085 Stephen Ledger ................................................................................... 98 3.7 AS-038 Dr Tim Ingram ....................................................................................... 101 4 Appendix A - Deadline 3 Responses Received Tracker ....................................... 110 Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd Arcus Consultancy Services Ltd August 2019 Page i Responses to Written Representations Received at Deadline 3 List of Abbreviations AHLV Area of High Landscape Value ALC Agricultural Land Classification AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AR HMA Arable Reversion Habitat Management Area BBPP Breeding Bird Protection Plan CCC Canterbury City Council CEMP Construction Environment Management Plan CHSP Cleve Hill Solar Park CHSPL Cleve Hill Solar Park Limited CNMP Construction Noise Management Plan CTMP Construction Traffic Management Plan DCO Development Consent Order DEFRA Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs EA Environment Agency EIA Environmental Impact Assessment ES Environmental Statement FGM HMA Freshwater Grazing Marsh Habitat Management Area FRA Flood Risk Assessment FTC Faversham Town Council GREAT Graveney Rural Environment Action Team Ha Hectares HGV Heavy Goods Vehicle HMA Habitat Management Area HMSG Habitat Management Steering Group HRA Habitat Regulations Assessment IDB Internal Drainage Board ISH Issue Specific Hearing KCC Kent County Council kV Kilovolt LBMP Landscape and Biodiversity Management Plan LIR Local Impact Report LNR Local Nature Reserve LVIA Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food MEASS Medway Estuary and Swale Strategy MHWS Mean High Water Springs MR Managed Realignment MW Megawatt NPS National Policy Statement NSIP Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project PEIR Preliminary Environmental Information Report PINS Planning Inspectorate PRoW Public Rights of Way PV Photovoltaic RIAA Report to Inform Appropriate Assessment RR Relevant Representations SBC Swale Borough Council SPA Special Protection Area SoCG Statement of Common Ground SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest WWII World War Two Arcus Consultancy Services Ltd Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd Page ii August 2019 Responses to Written Representations Received at Deadline 3 1 INTRODUCTION 1. This document provides Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd’s (the Applicant’s) response to the Written Representations (WRs) submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) by Deadline 3 on 1 August 2019, relating to the Development Consent Order Application (the DCO Application) for Cleve Hill Solar Park (the Development). 2. Table 1.1 lists the organisations which made submissions at Deadline 3. The Applicant has responded to the points raised by these stakeholders in Section 2 of this document. 3. A further 12 WRs were submitted by members of the public. These responses have been grouped by topic and are addressed on that basis in Section 3 of this document. 4. References to the Application documentation are provided where necessary according to the reference system set out in the Cleve Hill Solar Park Examination Library. Table 1.1: List of organisations which submitted Written Representations PINS Written Representation Received from Reference REP3-049 Canterbury City Council REP3-050 Faversham and Swale East Branch Labour Party REP3-054 Kent County Council on behalf of Kent County Council, Swale Borough Council and Canterbury City Council REP3-055 Swale Borough Council REP3-056 Swale Borough Council REP3-062 CPRE Kent REP3-063 REP3-064 REP3-065 REP3-066 Faversham Creek Trust REP3-067 Faversham & Oare Heritage Harbour Group REP3-069 The Faversham Society REP3-070 The Faversham Society REP3-076 Helen Whately MP REP3-079 Kent Wildlife Trust REP3-082 Natural England 5. Other representations received from members of the public raising issues in addition to those covered in other responses have also been addressed. Table 1.2 sets out the representations addressed in this document by author and the topics raised. Table 1.2 List of Representations Received at Deadline 3 from Members of the Public requiring responses PINS Representation Received Topics Raised Reference from REP2-072 Bob Gomes Ornithology REP3-057 REP2-060 Dr Bruno Erasin Agricultural Land Classification REP3-058 REP3-059 Dr Bruno Erasin Environmental Risks from the Battery Storage System REP3-081 Matthew Hatchwell Ecosystem Services and Managed Realignment European Eel REP3-083 Penelope Geoghegan Scale, location, appearance, wildlife, construction traffic route, alternatives (solar panels on new housing) REP3-085 Stephen Ledger Policy, need, environmental, alternatives AS-038 Dr Tim Ingram Climate change, biodiversity loss, carbon sequestration, flooding, ornithology Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd Arcus Consultancy Services Ltd August 2019 Page 1 Responses to Written Representations Received at Deadline 3 2 STAKEHOLDER ORGANISATION WRITTEN REPRESENTATIONS AND THE APPLICANT’S RESPONSES 2.1 REP3-049 Canterbury City Council Table 2.1: The Applicant’s Comments on Canterbury City Council’s Written Representation Ref. Statement Applicant’s Comment TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 PRE-APPLICATION ENQUIRY 1 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 PRE-APPLICATION ENQUIRY 2 In paragraph 28 of its Local Impact Report The Applicant notes these comments. (LIR) submitted on 31st July 2018, CCC advised that it would provide further comments once an independent assessment on the landscape impact of the proposed development had been carried out. Since the issue specific hearing on 23rd July 2019, CCC have reviewed the independent assessment and remain of the view that the proposed development would have a detrimental impact on the setting of the Seasalter Marshes Landscape Character Area (LCA) and the North Kent Marshes Area of High Landscape Value (AHLV). However, CCC wish to make the following additional comments on landscape and visual amenity matters, particularly in relation to the methodology and choice of viewpoints used to inform the Applicant’s Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) and the Applicant’s assessment of the landscape effects of the proposed development. Methodology 3 Overall, CCC raise no objections to the The Applicant stands by its initial assessment of landscape methodology used in the LVIA submitted by value for the AHLV (North Kent Marshes) based on policy LB2 the Applicant. However, CCC consider that the (Canterbury