Residents concern about solar farm development

LOCAL residents in Lower Thornton, Milford Haven, have expressed concerns about a solar power development that will engulf three farms and may have an adverse effect on the health of those closely situated to it.

Speaking with The Herald, local campaigner Lynne Hughes described the situation: “We knew of the development, but this was supposed to be located some way further down the field facing my home. However, six weeks ago we saw the company, Good Energy Generation Ltd, had started to build the electricity sub-station a hundred metres from our house. We understand this was because they were originally too close to the Murco pipeline.”

She went on to question whether or not the energy company had planning permission for this move.

“I spoke to planning officer Simon Hughes who said he didn’t know anything about it. He advised us he would take pictures and refer it back to his office and overseeing case officer Mike Simmonds.

“Eventually, after sending them two emails, they came back to me advising that they had applied for planning permission and we, the residents, had until the April 3 to contest this. This gave us just four weeks which we question. Is this a long enough period and, indeed, as this is surely an industrial project, should we not be entitled to a longer period of consultation before planning permission is granted?”

Lynne Hughes said she was surprised that on the original planning application a question asking whether local residents had been contacted or not had been ticked ‘No’ by Good Energy and that “they appear to have just gone ahead and built it anyway”.

She told The Herald that a petition signed by over a hundred residents that was handed in to a council planning meeting was ‘just ignored’.

Asked what her concerns over this development were, she said:

“The question to the council is are they aware of the potential health risks posed by this development?”

In response to these concerns, Pembrokeshire County Council responded: “The application by Good Energy Rose Cottage for a Solar Photovoltaic Farm on land at Rose Cottage Farm, Woodson Farm and Tierson Farm at Tiers Cross, was approved by the Planning and Rights of Way Committee on October 1, 2013, and included the building of an electrical sub-station.

“However, although they had been consulted prior to the application being considered and raised no objections, Murco subsequently voiced concerns that the sub-station was within 10 metres of a pipeline. As a result, Good Energy submitted an application on February 18 to re-site the sub-station a further 120 metres from the pipeline. That application is currently being considered. If work has begun on constructing the sub-station prior to the issuing of planning permission, then that is at the developer’s own risk”.

Scientific surveys have suggested that solar power can pose certain health risks to people with special disabilities, including adverse effects on children with ADHD. Mrs Hughes pointed out that she has family that could be directly affected by this.

A meeting has been arranged for all residents to have their say on the matter next Wednesday, March 26, at the Christian Fellowship Church in Milford Haven.