Our concerns in more detail
The visual impact of this proposal will be enormous. The sloping site means that the 3 metre tall panels will be as visible as those on the way into Newquay. The scale of the development however is totally different - more than 4 times the size. Security fencing, sensor posts and cameras will add to the unnatural look. The application may be for 25 years but once this area is industrialised, applications for follow-on schemes will ensue.
Taking good quality agricultural land out of production doesn't make sense - we already import food into the UK. The developer's claim that the land will be grazed by sheep is contradicted by other solar developers and farmers alike.
Taking one third of a tenant farmer's land will impact severely on the continued viability of the farm. Over 7500 acres of Cornish land is already at risk of being removed from production. If less land is being farmed in Cornwall, there will be less employment in the agricultural sector and related industries. After the construction phase there are virtually no employment benefits in solar 'farms'. The developer's own estimate for employment at the Newquay site was '20-30 workers for 3 months'. 3 months in 25 years! Some of the developers employ foreign contractors!
The temptation to 'piggy-back' on this scheme: Once this area is connected to the high voltage line at St Erme the attraction of this area for yet more applications is dramatically increased.
There will be a detrimental impact on house prices in the area. With four schemes in our parish already this will become an industrial area not a rural one. Currently one has been approved, two have submitted planning applications in and one is at the screening stage. How many more are at the drawing board stage?
Cornwall's major industry is tourism. Visitors do not come to Cornwall to see acres of glass and every skyline interrupted with turbines. Some countries in Europe have already identified loss in tourism revenue due to renewable energy schemes.
The historic environment provides character and a sense of identity to an area and Good Energy's proposal will rip this apart. Both English Heritage and Cornwall Historical Environment Services have indicated that this is not the type of area suitable for such development.
The developer paints a rosy picture of how the scheme will benefit the ecology of the area. The ecology of the Newquay site does not appear to have benefited. How will bats, owls and buzzards hunt over acres and acres of glass? The fencing is specifically designed to exclude deer. There is a danger they will be forced closer to the A30.
Zelah has done its bit. If we just get the 4 schemes we know of so far our parish will supply 21 MW of solar energy - enough to power 4,500 homes! There are roughly 170 dwellings in St Allen parish. To give a comparison, the 'farm' on the way into Newquay is 4.55Mw. "Cornwall is the most extraordinary powerhouse for natural energy and it's very exciting... but we need 21st century connections to get that energy out of Cornwall and into the rest of the country." (Climate Change Minister Greg Barker BBC News Cornwall 12.3.13).
Our landscape is being pillaged. Developers - many of them from overseas and almost all from out of county - are obliterating swathes of the countryside developing industrial scale solar facilities. They are making vast amounts of money plundering grants that were intended for small scale generation schemes. Guess who pays for these grants?
Traffic: The construction of the Zelah part of this scheme will involve over 1000 HGV visits to the site. (Calculated from information supplied by developers of other sites.) There is no access point to the A30 with a slip road. We know what state our lanes can get into with a few tractors using them! Walkers, cyclists, joggers, horse riders and even car owners beware!
For the sake of the rest of the County we need to ensure that this application does not become the precedent for schemes of this size. Councillors would often like to oppose these schemes but feel they can't because an appeal would point to inconsistency.
If you would like to support our campaign to stop this and other developments ruining the Cornish countryside, or if you would like more information, please contact Richard Pratt (01872 540 814) or Peter Huggins (01872 540227).