You may have heard about Sunderland AFC’s plans to build solar farms on two fields near the Academy of Light. Although these fields are just outside the Whitburn Neighbourhood Area, the Forum will be responding to the planning application due to its potential impact on nearby Whitburn residents. While we support initiatives aimed at achieving net zero, we are concerned about the significant effects on the Green Belt and the loss of agricultural land. It will also damage the setting and unique rural character of Whitburn, by replacing these fields with industrial and commercial infrastructure, including solar panels, substations, CCTV, and high fencing around the fields.
A Whitburn resident has launched a petition: https://www.change.org/p/urge-south-tyneside-to-protect-green-belt-land-from-proposed-solar-farm More information from SAFC: https://safcsolar.co.uk You can respond to the planning application until 16 August through the South Tyneside local planning website.
11 Comments
Nicola edwards
8/4/2024 02:57:03 pm
This will ruin 2 beautiful villages, it will look awful and be of no benefit to any resident. It won’t help the environment and is taking away beautiful, useful farmland
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Maureen Kelly
8/4/2024 03:49:41 pm
Why spoil beautiful countryside. We need plants, trees and flowers to breathe and for the bees and insects that propogate our planet. We cannot eat solar panels. At the end of their life, these solar panels will be difficult to dispose of, probably ending up in landfill. How is that green? Solar panels should be on the roofs of government buildings or car parks, not on our fields.
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Ruth jordan
8/7/2024 08:15:09 am
This will disturb the animals living on the fields and I've seen geese feeding on the natural pond nature has made the panels are going to ruin the look of our villages why ruin nature
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Steven Hagen
8/11/2024 08:12:43 am
Leave the greenbelt/farmland alone. Plenty of other brownfield sites. Utilise roofs, the stadium, car parks, shopping centres - plenty of other options rather than this. This site is not suitable for this development. Impact to local wildlife, especially the bird life.
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Alan McGee
8/11/2024 08:57:20 am
Agree with Steven, if you search for a company in the Cotswolds called Lime. Initially they had the agreement of the community. Now, because they have gone too far, there are boards everywhere "Stop Lime" their next development is a 2,000 acre site. The community want it stopped on farm land, and for them to be more creative, stadiums, industrial units, retail (amazon warehouses) etc
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8/11/2024 09:19:48 am
Greenbelt already spoilt by their training centre they should not be allowed to decimate it even more!!
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Julie
8/11/2024 09:55:49 am
Why spoil a very important habitat for many nesting birds, brown hares and an abundance of insects needed for all the wildlife in the area. This will have such an effect on the wildlife that has taken so long to establish there. So many birds will be disturbed including little ringed plover. There are so many other places this could go! Disused sites across Hendon, over the town centre car parks, so much waste land that is stood their empty unused and you want to choose one of the most lovely areas in Sunderland we have left. It makes no sense and is bewildering. How is this biodiversity net gain? You’re taking away a piece of habitat and not mitigating it anywhere else as far as the plans show?!
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Phil
8/11/2024 06:11:37 pm
I think it's a great idea. Renewable energy should be used more. Solar and wind farms should be allover the country in empty spaces. I'd be all for this
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John
8/13/2024 12:48:14 pm
Leave the fields as fields if anything they should be filled with wild flowers to encourage the ecosystem.
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8/13/2024 01:18:17 pm
Simple green belt land is vital for all the reasons stated before it was promised by several governments and councils that green belt was sacred and environmentally required and never be built on the planet is at risk and further more there are plenty of brown field sites sitting unused
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James
9/10/2024 08:33:59 pm
Yes climate change leads to increasing desertification in Sub-Saharan Africa leading to famine and mass migration, but it will spoil the view from Cleadon Hill!!!!!!
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