Meridian Action Group has gone toe-to-toe with experts representing the developers of a planned massive solar farm for the area.
They saw the whites of each other’s eyes across desks at the first face-to-face session held by the Planning Inspectorate.
Body blow of the day came unexpectedly from National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) which was robust in telling Meridian it does not have an agreed connection point into the national grid. Without a connection the project is doomed. Meridian has assumed a connection at Weston Marsh at a substation not yet approved or built or even designed to accommodate Meridian.
The Planning Inspectorate heard that so far Meridian’s project has failed to meet criteria laid down by NESO (National Energy System Operator) and there are pylon and cable clashes with National Grid’s own plans for a new line from Grimsby to Walpole via Weston Marsh.
The damning evidence from NGET concluded that in no way should Meridian be satisfied that the two projects (Meridian and Grimsby to Walpole) can be accommodated in the same location or the same environment.
The two-day event at the Allia Future Business Centre at Peterborough United Football Club’s stadium saw Meridian Solar Farm’s legal team and experts grilled by the Planning Inspectorate, which also took evidence from Meridian Action Group.
Others attending, in person or online, included Lincolnshire Against Needless Destruction {LAND}, National Grid, Lincolnshire County Council, South Holland District Council, the Environment Agency and Anglian Water.
The Planning Inspectorate panel of three will eventually make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to refuse or approve the solar farm. The final decision will rest with the Secretary of State, who does not have to be bound by the Planning Inspectorate’s advice.
MAG opposed the development on grounds including the impact on food security and called for a wholly independent assessment of the actual proportion that is BMV land (best and most versatile). It pointed out that the applicant’s assessment is based on use of flawed methodology. Natural England has stated that Meridian’s assessment methods understate the permanent loss of BMV land. Lincolnshire County Council and Reading Agricultural Consultants have both expressed concerns about how the assessment of BMV land has been arrived at.
Other issues raised by MAG included the importance of Cowbit and Crowland Washes, with the developer showing an inadequate understanding of tidal flood risk, Fenland flood dynamics and the vital role that the washes play in protecting large areas from flooding.
It also called for more detail of fire and rescue services required and available locally and their ability to deal with runaway fires in order to safeguard neighbouring residents and property. This was especially with regard to battery storage.
MAG called for an assessment of alternative sites and methods of generation from solar, such as rooftop including factories, warehouses, car parks and dwellings. There is no evidence that Meridian has done this.
MAG followed up with a written statement pointing out roads which will not cope with construction traffic, simultaneous construction over four sites leading to cumulative impact, no information about substation noise, intrusion in such a naturally flat and featureless landscape, some pylons to be as tall as 66 metres, contradiction about eventual quality of returned land, dubious choice of flood risk sites, fish scoped out including at-risk and protected species, lack of any agreements over water for fighting fires, desperation in description of battery storage as “community benefit” and no community fund offered.
At the time of writing MAG was gearing up for a second in-person Planning Inspectorate session.
After the first session the Planning Inspectorate issued a 63-page document of so-far unanswered questions about the project.
In a statement already submitted by MAG it says the process, from day one, has been an enormous and exhausting strain on those to be most affected by it.
“That will not be anyone from Meridian, or Downing, or the landowners, or the councils, or the other authorities, or the Planning Inspectorate, or anyone so far involved in this academic process. It WILL be the ordinary people forgotten and left behind to deal with this truly massive blot on their lives for the rest of their lives. So it’s our plea that space is found in what seems to be an academic process for a little humanity,” said MAG.
It again points to the loss of top-quality food-growing land and Government guidance that, “top-tier land – high quality, best and most versatile agricultural land, typically grades 1,2 and 3a” remain protected to maintain domestic food security.
It has also pointed out that that flood zone 3b within the development site is not suitable for energy infrastructure.The developers have said that not being able to develop on this land would make the project not viable/
MAG has opposed the proposed use of roads such as Barrier Bank, Back Bank, Hulls Drove, Cloot Drove and Langary Gate Road as entirely unsuitable.
It has called for an investigation of the effects on human health of noise, both during construction and during operation, including noise from inverters, sub-stations and BESS. Meridian states up to 40 decibels above background noise. That equates to 16 times louder to the human ear and 10,000 times more sound energy than the background environment. Adding 40 decibels to the background is like running a vacuum cleaner, at all hours of the day and night, transforming an open farmland environment into a highly-intrusive industrial environment, completely masking the natural sounds of the countryside.
It also wants to know how much fire-fighting water will be stored, how and where. If tankered in how much, how often and route to be used. There must be an assessment of the fire risk from all elements – solar array, inverters, substation and BESS and a plan for dealing with any emergency.
