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A Suffolk group has formed to fight solar farm plans covering 2,200 acres around a Suffolk town.
Eye Action was created to oppose proposals for solar generation, cabling, a substation and battery storage across land near Eye.
Jen Cooper, one of the founders along with Wendy Aiken and Tessa Prior, said: “Our main concern is the over industrialisation of Eye.”
Full map of EcoPOwer Suffolk (Image: Jen Cooper)
The proposed sites include former deer hunting parks, high-grade agricultural land and areas close to historic locations. These include Eye Castle, a former Benedictine Priory, the 15th-century Church of St Peter and St Paul, the Guildhall and more than 160 listed buildings.
Roman hoards, including the Hoxne Treasure, have been found near the proposed sites. The group also said there was evidence of Pagan Saxon burial sites and settlements.
Ms Cooper said: “There would be a very real and intense impact, especially during construction, which would take around 2 years.”
She said construction would affect several villages and roads, with cabling planned in all directions. The group also raised concerns about traffic, glare, heat islands, high-voltage currents and the loss of farmland.
Land surrounding Eye is being proposed for solar farms (Image: Jen Cooper)
Ms Cooper said: “The scale and location is totally unsuited to a market town in the countryside.”
The group’s first public meeting took place on October 28. It said the turnout was strong and that some residents had not known about the project or understood its scale.
An online petition has been launched at change.org/stopsuffolksolaronarableandhistoricland. Eye Action plans further campaigning with residents and groups in the east of England.
Ms Cooper said: “We are opposed to the development in principle because as it stands, it is privately funded and will not benefit local people.”
Arable land around Eye (Image: Jen Cooper)
She said MP Adrian Ramsay and local councils had voiced concerns to the developer. The group said it supported renewable energy in suitable locations, but claimed offshore wind could provide the same output with fewer impacts.
Ms Cooper said: “This is about protecting our towns future.”
The campaign wants greater scrutiny of privately funded energy projects and is asking local people to join its efforts.
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