Outcome of the public meeting
The public meeting held on Thursday 11 January to discuss the solar farm application at Grove Farm was very well attended with more than 80 people filling the Village Hall. A presentation, containing information supplied by the applicant and Natural England, was given by the Chair of the Parish Council - available to view here. Our District Councillors, David Busby and Helen Davies were also in attendance.
The meeting was attended remotely by Bron Curtis, Principal Planning Officer, Strategic Projects and Delivery for Babergh District Council. She listened to all comments and answered questions, although she emphasised that she could only take into account representations in writing.
No one spoke in favour of the application and there were strong objections from villagers who live around the proposed site. There were also powerfully expressed objections regarding the impact on the unique heritage assets of the village as well as noise levels from the inverters, transformers and sub stations that would be on the site. Concerns were voiced about the loss of Best and Most Versatile agricultural land. There was no information about how Public Right of Way users would be impacted during construction and operation of the plant. The view was expressed that this was just the wrong place to put a solar farm -
“Is this the place to site 100,000 odd solar panels inside 4km of security fencing with innumerable CCTV cameras on 3m masts, innumerable inverters, 11 substantial transformers, and two substations including 7m tall elements? I would say: no. The application site stretches end to end 2 km across our village. It is much too much and cannot be absorbed by our village without very serious adverse impacts, which I fear will change the character of Bentley and its historic core forever. And remember, the application says the site will be decommissioned after 40 years ‘unless planning permission is secured for its continued operation’... We do need to increase the availability of renewable energy, but not at any cost.
These proposals will have a considerable permanent effect on our much-loved landscape for generations, if they go ahead. The long-distance views across the fields to the ancient Engry Wood and the Church enjoyed by so many using Potash Lane and Church Road would be gone, replaced by an industrial landscape of glass, container buildings, security fencing and CCTV cameras. The experience for walkers and equestrians who use the well used footpaths, bridleway and rural lanes around the site will be dramatically affected not only from loss of visual amenity but potential ‘glint and glare’ from the south facing panels. Proposed screen hedging will take many years to grow and even in 10 years time won’t cover the 3 metre high solar panels. The noise impact would be permanent.
You can comment on this application in the following ways -
Register on the Babergh Planning Portal to make a comment online https://planning.baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk/online-applications/ or
Email including the application reference DC/23/05656, your name and address to Planning@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk or
Write to the Planning Officer including the application reference DC/23/05656, your name and address to Planning Department, Babergh District Council, Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX.
Comments need to be made by 31st January 2024. Babergh District Council will be making the planning decision on this application.
The Parish Council will take into account all comments received from the public meeting, Babergh Planning portal and residents who choose to email the Parish Council direct to clerk@bentleysuffolkparishcouncil.gov.uk when making their recommendation on the proposals to Babergh District Council at the next Parish Council meeting on 1st February.