The Newbiggin Valley is currently used to graze livestock and grow crops like barley. We don’t think we should use productive land for electricity production. We believe solar panels belong on rooves and on industrial sites not cluttering up our beautiful countryside.
The valley is very pretty and home to an extensive range of wildlife including buzzards, merlins, little owls, small eared owls, greater spotted woodpeckers, hares, foxes, pheasants and partridges among many others. In summer oystercatchers and curlews nest here. There are often wild geese and occasionally a rare sighting of deer or red squirrels.
Kronos told the consultation meeting that if allowed to proceed they would stop construction before dusk each night so that bats feeding would not be disturbed so we assume they know there are bats present. We are concerned daylight construction will disturb them and that the power station will impact their food supply.
There is a popular foot path through the valley which is used by walkers, runners, horse riders and cyclists. We think the valley is better used to recharge our mental health batteries instead of generating electricity
Glazing the valley would ruin this pleasant country walk and would be a terrible, terrible eye sore to those who live nearby.
Kronos stated that they would plant new vegetation to screen the power plant. Local people believe it will take decades for anything to grow tall enough to screen 10 foot high solar panels and would leave us looking at packed vegetation rather than the current lovely view. This would be very ugly for a long time.