YES TO RENEWABLE ENERGY
NO TO DESTROYING GREENFIELDS AND FLOODPLAINS
We are supportive of the drive to increase energy generation from renewable sources.
We understand that solar farms have a role to play. They are large industrial plants and should be situated on plots of land that are environmentally suitable for them.
Choosing the wrong site has disastrous consequences for the environment.
We are opposed to a plan to install an industrial solar plant on two fields that are floodplains in an area of natural beauty next to the river on the Ouse Valley Way in Buckden, Cambridgeshire.
Protecting Wildlife
These fields are a very special area for wildlife, attracting insects, mammals and a wide variety of birds covering marine, resident and migratory species. Keeping these fields in their natural state is crucial for the habitat and survival of wildlife in the area.
Preserving our floodplains
These fields are floodplains next to the River Great Ouse and in the highest category of flood risk and they do flood frequently. Buckden and the Offords have lived through flood waters on many occasions. The most recent being the winter of 2020, when homes flooded and roads closed in the area. These floodplains are vital to making space for flood waters.
Protecting green space
These fields are popular for walking, dog walking, exercising, bird watching and fishing. They include over 1.5 kilometres of the Ouse Valley Way, a national source-to-sea pathway, and are one of the last greenfield spaces in the locality where families can easily access an open area of natural beauty and engage with the environment.
