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SCRUTINISING SOLAR


NEWARK & SHERWOOD SOLAR ACTION GROUP

Farmland for Food, Rooftops for Solar 

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CUMLATIVE IMPACT

Newark and Sherwood already hosts over 600 acres of ground mounted solar
facilities and it now faces unprecedented proposals for solar development which
will fundamentally alter the character of the area for a generation.

In total there are over 10,000 acres of planning applications: 

 * 7,000 acres – Great North Road Solar Park
 * 3,750 acres – One Earth Solar Farm
 * 200 acres – Foxholes Solar
 * 200 acres – Kelham Solar
 * 200 acres – Cotmoor Lane
 * 200 acres – Windburn Solar
 * 200 acres – Inkersall Solar
 * 200 acres – Knapthorpe Solar
 * 200 acres – Muskham Solar


OUR AIM

We are a local campaign group committed to the advancement of renewable energy.
However, we advocate for prioritising the installation of solar panels on
rooftops to preserve farmland for food production. 

Should ground-mounted solar installations become necessary, only those schemes
that minimally impact the environment, maintain food security, and garner
community support should be considered.


VILLAGES AFFECTED: ESSENDINE, CARLBY, BRACEBOROUGH, GREATFORD, BARHOLM,
UFFINGTON, RYHALL AND BELMESTHORPE

It affects at least another 10 villages within a 3 mile radius, as well as being
under 1 miles from Stamford.

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“THE LARGEST AND MOST EGREGIOUS THUS FAR IS THE SO CALLED GREAT NORTH ROAD SOLAR
FARM. IT IS A SCHEME OF BREATHTAKING SCALE. IT WOULD BE A MASSIVE CHANGE TO THE
LANDSCAPE OF THE AREA, TURNING BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE INTO AN INDUSTRIAL
LANDSCAPE AND LOSES HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF AGRICULTURAL LAND. THIS IS NOT A
REASONABLE PROPOSAL. IT IS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL AND MUST BE STOPPED.”

Rt Hon Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark


THE KEY ISSUES


SHEER SCALE


LOSS OF HABITAT


LOSS OF AMENITY


VISUAL IMPACT


TRAFFIC IMPACT


SAFETY CONCERN


SOURCING CONCERNS


LOSS OF PRODUCTIVE LAND


INCREASED FLOOD RISK


SITE EQUIVALENT SIZE


HEATHROW, GATWICK, STANSTED & MANCHESTER AIRPORTS COMBINED

Virtual Flyover
Acres
0
% Built on PRODUCTIVE LAND
0
% of TOTAL FARMLAND
0


SHARE SCALE

2,105 acre site equivalent to 1,300 football pitches and 10 times larger than
the largest solar farm currently in the UK. Larger in area than Stamford. Almost
4.2 miles from one end to the other, with a perimeter stretching over 25 miles
in entirety.We accept that solar energy has a part to play in supplying
renewable energy, where appropriate. 


MALLARD PASS IS AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE SOLAR PLANT INAPPROPRIATELY DESIGNED AND
DISPROPORTIONATE IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY.

It affects at least another 10 villages within a 3 mile radius, as well as being
under 1 mile from Stamford.

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YOUR CONCERNS

439 respondents told Mallard Pass which aspects are most important to them


Local Ecology and Wildlife
87%
Landscape / Visual Impact
85%
Land Use and Agriculture
76%
Traffic, Access, Construction
59%
Recreation and Amenity
40%
Flood Risk
37%
Archaeology and Local Heritage
30%
Other
21%
Tourism
11%


Source: Mallard Pass Solar Farm Leaflet February Stage 1 Consultation Report
2022

“As the local lead charity for the countryside, CPRE Rutland is pleased to be
working with the Mallard Pass Action Group to promote, protect and nurture the
local environment so that it may continue to offer the biodiversity, food,
wildlife and appropriately scaled sources of low carbon renewable energy which
citizens expect in such a rural area.”

Ron Simpson Bem

Chair - CPRE Rutland
“I want you to have a voice, so when there is a consultation, please let your
voice be heard. Be part of it; contribute to any consultation; and have your
say.”

Gareth Davies

MP For Grantham and Stamford
“The application proposed for Mallard Pass is far too large, it is in the wrong
location, it will damage the natural beauty of our area and will detrimentally
affect the health and wellbeing of our residents. I appreciate the need for
renewable energy, however this application is not sympathetic to its
surroundings and lacks community support.”

Kelham Cooke

Leader of South Kesteven District Council
“As the local lead charity for the countryside, CPRE Rutland is pleased to be
working with the Mallard Pass Action Group to promote, protect and nurture the
local environment so that it may continue to offer the biodiversity, food,
wildlife and appropriately scaled sources of low carbon renewable energy which
citizens expect in such a rural area.”

Ron Simpson Bem

Chair - CPRE Rutland
“I want you to have a voice, so when there is a consultation, please let your
voice be heard. Be part of it; contribute to any consultation; and have your
say.”

Gareth Davies

MP For Grantham and Stamford

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LOSS OF PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL LAND

There is a clear policy conflict within government which seeks to protect and
enhance our domestic production to maintain food security, yet it is encouraging
the growth of renewable energy on valuable productive farmland. We are concerned
about this considerable loss of land and inadequate policies to protect it,
particularly in the light of the Russia/Ukraine war and the impact it is having
with global food shortages and food prices. Government policy through the
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and draft National Policy for Energy
EN3 is clear that ground mounted solar should use previously developed land,
contaminated land, industrial land and agricultural land of grade 3b, 4 and 5,
not Best and Most Versatile (BMV) land of grade 1,2 and 3a. Following final
survey work by Mallard Pass the solar area is 40.7% BMV land, results that needs
further validation as the previous survey work concluded 53%.

We believe that no large scale solar plant should be approved for development on
greenfield land until the collective impact on the environment, biodiversity and
food security is fully understood.


SOLAR PANELS SHOULD BE ERECTED ON BROWNFIELD SITES, ALL NEW HOUSING AND ALL
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. USING PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL LAND SHOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE
LAST RESORT.

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VISUAL IMPACT

Imagine solar panels mounted up to 3.3m high spread across 2,105 acre site of
open countryside adjacent to many local villages, and less than 1 mile from
Stamford. There will also be 2m high security fencing, CCTV and security
lighting to 3.5m around the solar panel fields. Added to that will be inverters
and transformers dotted across the site in large unsightly containers emitting
significant and constant noise. Given the unsightly nature of this industrial
landscape and minimum noise requirements, Mallard Pass has had to take
appropriate mitigation measures. Many of the so-called screening enhancements
will take up to 15 years and beyond to provide a decent level of screening, but
this misses the point as the character and beauty of much of this countryside is
the long lightly undulating open vista.


SOLAR PANELS UP TO 3.3M HIGH ACROSS 2,105 ACRE SITE OF OPEN COUNTRYSIDE.

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LOSS OF SOCIAL AMENITY

If you enjoy walking, cycling, riding or driving through the countryside, and
experiencing the health and well-being that brings to us (something that has
proved to be so important during Covid) , then imagine the impact of being
surrounded on public rights of way and quiet country roads by solar panels and
associated equipment in storage containers. Whilst Mallard Pass is planning on
offering some 5 miles of permissive routes , this in no way compensates for the
negative experience of walking alongside and being surrounded by what is
effectively an industrial plant. Note public rights of way are likely be moved
or closed during the 2 year construction phase, which could have a significant
impact on all users.


PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY MAY BE MOVED OR CLOSED DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE.


HABITAT LOSS AND DISRUPTION

Mallard Pass give no adequate explanation as to why they need to set aside 50%
(1,053acres) of the total site (2,105 acres) for mitigation. They claim the area
underneath the panels is more bio-diverse than arable crops, therefore they can
achieve their 10% Bio-diversity Net Gain (BNG) target from the solar panel area
alone. If that is the case then the scheme could have been more sensitively
designed over a far smaller area with a fraction of land required for mitigation
and enhancement, with less adverse impacts.
Bio-diversity improvements can only be achieved through careful design and
ongoing management, with each area requiring a bespoke approach rather than
one-size fits all. BNG is being treated by Mallard Pass as a quantitative tick
box exercise for habitat creation, rather than having a qualitative approach
delivering long term beneficial habitat outcomes.

The construction process will take up to 2 years during which time there will be
disruption and damage to some of the habitat through construction traffic, new
tracks built, compaction of the soil, drilling and piling, noise and vibration.
Unless this phase is done with the utmost sensitivity to the environment, it
will damage the delicate bio-diversity and takes many years to re-establish if
ever at all.

Deer will no longer be able to run freely faced with miles of security fencing
blocking their natural routes. Not only is the welfare of deer at risk, but that
of road users as well. Faced with a reduced area to graze the deer will cause
additional damage to ancient woodland, impacting other species, as well as
inflicting more concentrated damage to other farmers’ crops. Some badger setts
are going to be removed altogether, those that remain will have to navigate
their routes though badger gates. Brown hares risk losing much of their habitat
also due to security fencing restricting their access.

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FLOOD RISK

The creation of any large scale solar development would increase the flood risk
to the local countryside, roads, villages, and outlying properties over a wide
area. Mallard Pass know this but have not satisfied the concerns of residents in
Essendine and Greatford and have purely focussed on managing flood risk on the
site.

Laying new tracks and access routes during the construction process to enable
the solar panels and fencing to be erected, will cause compaction of the soil
across the whole site. During operation ongoing maintenance will cause further
compaction to the soil which is already less aerated, reducing the ability to
absorb rainwater.

The run-off characteristics of rainwater from solar panels is different to
rainwater falling straight to the ground. Rainwater falls evenly over a wide
area, the run-off of rainwater from the panels would be in concentrated amounts,
like rain running into the gutter of a house. When rainfall is heavy, gutters
are deluged with water and overpowered. The same is true for the solar panels
except the rain would create water channels/gullies in the soil, causing further
compaction of the soil, and ultimately speeding up the run-off from the site
into nearby fields, roads, rivers and other vulnerable areas such as some local
villages. 


THE RUN-OFF CHARACTERISTICS OF RAINWATER FROM SOLAR PANELS IS DIFFERENT TO
RAINWATER FALLING STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND .


TRAFFIC DISRUPTION AND DAMAGE

The construction phase will take up to 2 years with all HGVs, abnormal loads and
workers’ construction traffic coming through or past the outskirts of many local
villages, with the major impacts through Great Casterton, Ryhall and Essendine.
This will create added noise, pollution, and damage to roads and associated
verges, as well as extra risk for pedestrians, cyclists and horse-riders. It is
also likely to disturb the bio-diversity down more rural side lanes.

Some of the roads will be too narrow and will require road widening and many
special traffic measures. One of the options Mallard Pass is looking at is
running the cabling from the solar panels to the new sub-station though
Essendine on A6121, ripping up roads and pavements in the process. There will be
one main construction compound opposite the current Ryhall sub-station down the
narrow Uffington Lane, and a further 6 secondary construction compounds and site
access locations, creating concentrations of traffic, noise and disruption in
those areas.

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BATTERY STORAGE SAFETY

Mallard Pass did plan to build a massive battery storage facility opposite the
existing sub-station, but have said they are now not doing so “at this time”,
indicating they may bring it back on the agenda in a few months or years time,
maybe via the ‘back door’. Assuming it will happen at some point the batteries
will almost certainly be lithium-ion, which have a reputation for being unstable
and very dangerous if they develop a fault.

These lithium-ion batteries are usually housed in large containers, stacked up
to 13m high. Faults can occur due to mechanical damage, heat, internal short
circuits and poor battery management. When a fault occurs it causes a chemical
reaction which, unlike normal fires, do not need oxygen to burn and are
therefore very difficult to put out. The only way to stop the reaction is to
cool it with vast amounts of water, more than is ever likely to be available at
the site. The chemical reaction caused when the batteries fail emits large
amounts of toxic gas, mainly hydrogen fluoride, after which explosive gases are
given off that can cause substantial explosions.

Safety regulations are still woefully inadequate as the system fails to catch up
with the speed of battery storage introductions connected to large scale solar
applications. Until there is better regulation to protect the potential toxic
impact to the environment and residential areas, and better fire protection
measures for safety teams, battery storage should not be introduced.


THE CHEMICAL REACTION CAUSED WHEN THE BATTERIES FAIL EMITS LARGE AMOUNTS OF
TOXIC GAS, MAINLY HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, AFTER WHICH EXPLOSIVE GASES ARE GIVEN OFF
THAT CAN CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL EXPLOSIONS.

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