To Eat or To Heat

Following on from the recent article on the power lines ( see To Sea or Not To Sea (Babergh South Suffolk Liberal Democrats) (southsuffolklibdems.org.uk)) and their under-the-sea alternative, the mass of energy infrastructure projects up for consideration at the moment throws up another dilemma. Should we be favouring food production or green energy generation?

There are seven solar farm applications currently live across Babergh and Mid-Suffolk. Three, in particular, give me the greatest cause for concern as they will dominate much of the villages of Flowton, Somersham, Burstall and Bramford. The landscape will be 'industrialised' for a couple of generations. There are many popular walks around and through the fields that will be affected. Gone will be the green and rolling views for people who have taken them for a significant benefit of living in the countryside.

However, the Ukraine conflict has not only taught us that our energy supplies are precarious but food as well. There are many locations more suitable for solar panels than high grade agricultural fields. Why should we allow the fields to be overrun with these panels when we wouldn't give permission for housing on the same fields? Plus, we learnt last week of the massive solar project in Morocco that would render these sites as mere blots on the landscape.

Surely common sense will prevail and we will retain the fields for their original purpose - enabling the population to eat rather than have heat.