Controversial 200-acre solar farm gets permission in Warwickshire countryside

Andy Mitchell

Local Democracy Reporter

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a huge new solar farm to the east of Wellesbourne have been approved – albeit by the smallest of margins.

Stratford District Council’s planning committee passed the proposals for land flanking either side of Fosse Way, Moreton Morrell, by four votes to three, and all bar one councillor admitted to being torn on what to do.

The permission lasts for 40 years after which the land has to be returned to its former condition. Among the conditions is that applicants Innova Renewables reach a legal agreement with the council within six months.

The overall site covers 81 hectares (200 acres) with panels covering 46 (113 acres) of those across five agricultural fields. The rest of the application is for 2.3 kilometres of underground cabling to connect to a new substation being built in Newbold Pacey.

It was standing room only at Elizabeth House as ward member Cllr Anne Parry (Con, Wellesbourne North & Rural) and three parish councils – Newbold Pacey & Ashorne, Moreton Morrell and Lighthorne – voiced objections during a debate that last for more than two hours.

Their cause was supported by 276 representations against, including from MP Sir Jeremy Wright (Con, Kenilworth & Southam), South Warwickshire Archaeology Society and Keep the Deers Leaping Community Action Group. There was also a petition with 559 signatures but there were also 79 representations in support.

Among the grounds for objecting were visual impacts, the cumulative effect of so many solar farms locally, the impact on wildlife, the loss of farming land and heritage concerns.

Harms, and the fact they could not be fully mitigated, were acknowledged but planning officers – the employed professionals – recommended saying yes, arguing the benefits of clean energy, the work Innova has agreed to do on creating wildlife habitats and the changes they have agreed to outweigh those harms.

On the cumulative impact, the council’s assessment was that less than one per cent of the district would be covered by solar panels even after this went through, while it was said that the proposed fields were not considered the highest grade of farming land.

Having heard the various viewpoints, Cllr Trevor Harvey (Ind, Tredington) said: “The arguments that I see are not all on one side, there are negatives and positives.”

He noted national planning guidance that tells councillors to give significant weight to renewable energy applications and that the contractor “has gone a long way to make changes to accommodate the criticisms made”, including not placing panels on higher ground where they might be more visually intrusive.

“I am also very conscious of the history of this committee in not accepting office recommendations on solar, it is not good,” he added.

“When officers have recommended to grant permission and they have been refused, when they have been taken to appeal we have lost, so I have regard to the officers when they make this recommendation.

“It is not clear cut and it is a matter of where you draw the balance between these factors. I draw the balance in favour of accepting the recommendation but I am open to other points of view – I would go 60-40 in favour.”

Councillor Daren Pemberton (Con, Bidford East) felt the balance was more “51-49”, admitting the plans would “undoubtedly harm” the rural patch.

“We have seen a plethora of these sites in a relatively confined area and that has an adverse impact on local communities,” he said.

“The challenge I have, and I have tried to explore this, is whether there is a sufficient policy hook to be able to tip the balance away from supporting the recommendation. I have to say, I am struggling with that.

“There is something for us to consider outside this committee as a planning authority in terms of how this part of the district is doing the heavy lifting for climate change.

“There are benefits for us all but we are making a particular community do the heavy lifting and there is an element of inequity about that.”

Councillor Bill Fleming (Con, Bidford West) could not agree and voted against.

“I am hugely concerned by the amount of agricultural land we are losing in Warwickshire,” he said.

“We are an agricultural county, it is one of the things we are famous for, and there is a constant erosion of farmland being taken away.

“You can say this farmland is not particularly good or the best, that happens everywhere, but it is still land that will grow.”