Increased Flooding

The QC report states that the area is "....of low risk of flooding...." and the site "....has no risk of surface water flooding” [page 20].  This is factually incorrect; the sites were the source of significant drainage water and surface run-off water during Storm Babet in October 2023.  This led to the flooding of five properties in Letheringham, at least ten in Easton, contributed to flooding in downstream villages on the River Deben (e.g. Wickham Market), and the loss of numerous vehicles due to flood damage.  Irrespective of Babet, the area is well known for regular flooding.

There are a number of major factors omitted from the QC report, which should be considered in the context of an increase in adverse weather patterns, particularly the ferocity of future rainfall and storms.  These factors, combined with changing global weather patterns, could equate to a significant increase in surface water run off from these fields.  This will not only increase the vulnerability of flood damage in the vicinity of Letheringham and Easton, but also within villages located on, and around, the River Deben downstream.

Firstly, the site is not “broadly flat” as the QC report states [page 8]; there is a difference of about 12m in ground level.  The site also has two watercourses, one of which flows approximately centrally throughout the site at the base of a natural valley feature (acting like a funnel); these could be environmentally sensitive/significant.

Secondly, no reference is made to the prevailing geology. The soil type, and its ability to absorb water, plays a crucial role in both water run off from the development area, and also potential effects on ground water. The site is predominantly underlain by the Lowestoft Formation, which is a glacial till [British Geological Survey]. This can be an impermeable, predominantly clay material, or can be sands and gravels. The bulk of the site being the former, which means that rainfall does not “freely” infiltrate the ground. Consequently, the water flow across the surface is greater under storm conditions than when the geology is sands and gravels. There is concern about water run off from the solar panels and associated flood risk.

Thirdly, concerns have been raised in relation to the existence of any sands and gravels which could provide a “pathway” for any pollution into the underlying watercourse that feeds the River Deben. If pollutants were to enter into the sand and gravel areas, either directly as a result of any spillage (where they exist), or as a result of water flows (rainfall or “other means”), this could result in contaminated water flowing into our watercourses/wildlife. The “other means” referred to could include any fire fighting water from a battery fire, or any pollutant leakage becoming “flushed” into the sands and gravels (see Fire Objection).

The site has already low infiltration of water into the ground, and this has the propensity to be reduced further by the transformation of sloping arable land into a Solar Farm. This could increase the flood risk associated with the watercourse downstream and of the River Deben (45m away). With heavy water run off from the impermeable solar panels and buildings/concrete areas, there is potential to change the natural characteristics of how water flows across, and from the development area. Concern has been raised about the creation of a network of channelised paths of fast running water (potentially polluted) destined for the villages of both Letheringham, Easton and beyond.