😡 Petition

Commons Chamber

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Residents of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire are outraged over a massive 1,900-acre solar farm project, East Park Energy, which they fear will ruin their lives and destroy valuable farmland. The proposed site, larger than Gatwick Airport, will see 700,000 photovoltaic panels installed on top of a Roman town and prime agricultural land. Over 1,100 locals have signed a petition demanding the government reject the project and strip it of its nationally significant infrastructure status. They feel ignored and are desperate for their voices to be heard.

Summary

  • Petition Presented: Ben Obese-Jecty presented a petition against the proposed East Park Energy solar farm, which has collected 1,100 signatures from residents in Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.

  • Project Details: The solar farm, proposed by Brockwell Storage and Solar, spans 1,900 acres—larger than Gatwick Airport—and will impact parishes including Hail Weston, Great Staughton, Little Staughton, Keysoe, and Pertenhall.

  • Environmental and Heritage Concerns: The solar farm is planned on farmland classified as grade 2 and 3a, considered the best and most versatile land for agriculture. Additionally, it is being built on an unexcavated Roman town.

  • Local Impact: The development includes installing 700,000 photovoltaic panels on 250,000 pile-driven metal posts, significantly affecting local life.

  • Community Sentiment: Residents feel their concerns about the project’s scale and its impact on the community and environment have been ignored by the government.

  • Petition Demand: The petition urges the House of Commons to reject the East Park Energy proposal and to remove its status as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.

Divisiveness

The transcript provided is a presentation of a petition by Ben Obese-Jecty, a Member of Parliament from Huntingdon, regarding the proposed East Park Energy solar farm. The session does not exhibit any form of disagreement or debate among parliament members. Instead, it solely focuses on the MP presenting the concerns and requests of his constituents through a formal petition. There are no instances of opposition or conflicting viewpoints expressed within the transcript. The entire text revolves around a single perspective against the solar farm project, with no counterarguments or discussions from other MPs or parties present in the session. Therefore, given the lack of any disagreement within the presented text, the session is rated a 1 on a scale from 1 to 5 for disagreement displayed.