South Holland District Council is to seek outside consultation on how to fight a planned solar farm for the area.
Coun Henry Bingham though said the authority would get developers to pay for that while answering a question from Coun Laura Eldridge at the council’s most recent meeting.
“It’s to make sure we give the best and most detailed responses we can in the interest of the residents,” he said while also criticising the currently ongoing consultation. “I attended the webinar.
“All the questions had to be in writing, no conversation was allowed and questions were screened, which shows it’s obviously a tick box exercise, which is quite frankly disappointing and insulting,” he continued. “The council is there to put forward the views of the residents they serve and they should have the decency to engage with the residents properly.
“This council, though the planning decisions, have made it clear we do not support the mass industrialisation of agricultural land, but do support the right thing in the right place with some projects.
“One of the projects mentioned takes up twice the land for both residential and commercial development on offer which shows the vast nature of the projects and the impacts on our residents.
“Even in the past week we’ve refused the cost of solar applications, mainly for the loss of agricultural land, but they keep coming in thick and fast.
“Any response from the planning department will be solely based on planning reason and there will be many, I can assure you. For the major projects we will be putting on a further response from the council sent by the leader.
“We’re only a consultee on this project and it will take each level in local and national politics to take note as there is no doubt in my mind these will be rubber stamped the moment they hit appeal by the Labour government, ignoring the locals it actually affects.”
* A campaign group against energy projects is organising a protest walk and holding its own ‘consultation events’.
Lincolnshire Against Needless Developments (LAND) is hosting events today (Thursday, May 29) at the Snowden Pavilion in Crowland and on Tuesday, June 3 at The Elizabethan Centre in Whaplode Drove. Both events are from 7am to 9pm.
The group’s Andrew Malkin said: “There will be maps and literature on display and an illustrated presentation from 7.30pm to 8pm, followed by questions and answers from 8pm.”
On Sunday, June 8, a protest walk will take place around the site where the new substation at Weston Marsh is proposed to go.
It’s at Welland House Farm on Marsh Road from 11am.
