one tree hill SOLAR - WRONG PROJECT, WRONG PLACE
One Tree Hill gets its name from the elm that was planted in 1815 by General Hunt Grubbe to commemorate the battle of Waterloo. Today an oak tree marks this iconic spot which has been a meeting place for generations and is a lifeline for many, bringing so many health benefits since the pandemic to daily walkers, cyclists, and horse riders from surrounding villages and Devizes. The iconic landmark tree which sits on the horizon can be seen from miles away, including Etchilhampton Hill in the North Wessex Downs AONB.
(Drawing inscribed with 'Little Tree, Potterne' and dated 6.5.1927)
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The developers have graciously acknowledged the significance of One Tree Hill to the local community and propose to erect an information board and bench within the 3m-tall fence that will imprison the tree, effectively blocking the open views currently enjoyed. Presumably they want us to rename the hill “Caged Tree Hill”!
(Photo by Simon Folkard)
Potterne and Devizes are now so close that One Tree Hill is the only remaining open space separating them. It must be kept free of development. More Parish Council time has been spent fighting to preserve this rural gap than on any other planning issue since the Potterne Neighbourhood Development Plan was approved by Wiltshire Council.
(Photo by Simon Folkard)
This is top quality agricultural land. We have a food crisis, a countryside crisis, a mental health crisis and an ecology crisis, as well as an energy crisis. We have to get a better balance in this decision making – not all solar is good solar.
Over 300 objections have been lodged for this proposal including Potterne, Easterton and Urchfont parish councils, Devizes Town Council, CPRE Wilts, Wiltshire Bridleways Association, Drews Pond Wood Project, Trust for Devizes and British Horse Society.
One Tree Hill is within Potterne Field which forms part of the ecosystem that stretches from Drews Pond in the north to the ancient woodlands immediately to the south, across Stert Valley (aka Potterne Park Valley), across to the ancient woodlands the other side of the valley. Our applicant conveniently ignores this important ecosystem and limits their ecology studies to the area within the site boundaries – and the planning system seemingly allows them to do that! By downplaying the importance of the site ecologically, the applicant can proudly claim a Biodiversity Net Gain simply by planting 187 screening trees around the site. Presumably they will want us to celebrate “188 Tree Hill”!
Access is hugely problematic. The applicant plans to come in from the A342 over a distance of 1.3 miles, the whole of which is single-track. The first part is along a lightly used narrow unclassified road which serves the small hamlet of Sleight and has very few passing places, none of them with line-of-sight. The remaining part of the proposed access is along a narrow byway (POTT50) lined by the ancient woodland of Potterne Wood with low-hanging branches. There are no passing places and it is used by riders, walkers and occasional agricultural traffic. This track is totally unsuitable for HGV’s.
Potterne village suffers hugely from flooding with much of the water draining from this hill. This is a real concern for residents, yet the flooding report only deals with the site itself and does not address runoff to surrounding areas. What sort of professional organisation would do that – not even attempt to address the concerns of the residents?
We have done our own LVIA. We will do our own hydrology study if we need to. And if we think that red-listed wildlife is being impacted, we will investigate legal proceedings.