147-acre solar farm near Alderminster given green light
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a large solar farm near Alderminster that would power more than 14,000 homes have been approved.
Regener8 Power Limited’s proposal to establish a 147-acre solar farm on agricultural land between Ilmington, Crimscote and Wimpstone was given the green light at Stratford District Council’s planning committee last Wednesday (23rd November).
It was reported that so many protesters holding placards had turned out for the meeting that space in the audience gallery had to be doubled, but some people still had to be turned away because of a lack of room.
After representations from all parties were made, the plans, which had been recommended for approval, were given the go-ahead by eight votes to two with no abstentions.
However, several conditions must be fulfilled to the council’s satisfaction before work can begin.
Plans for soft landscaping, details of CCTV camera direction, submission of a construction management plan covering construction traffic and HGV routes to and from the site must be submitted and approved by the authority. Once those conditions have been met, construction will begin, currently projected for mid-2023, and the solar farm should be generating energy by the first quarter of 2024.
Adriano Satta, chief executive officer of Regener8 Power, said: “We are delighted to have been granted planning permission for our solar farm at Crimscote. We are very proud of this project and look forward to setting up our community benefit scheme through the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, so that local residents can share in the prosperity the solar farm will bring.”
Stephen Cowper, one of the landowners involved in the project, said “I grow crops for bio-fuel, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. I am excited to be able to bring these fields back into grazing whilst also helping address our climate crisis.”
The solar farm, Regener8 Power says, will meet the needs of around 14,100 homes every year and will save 10,595 tonnes of CO2 annually. Additionally, the firm has proposed a community benefit scheme, which will pay out more than £500,000 over the 40-year life of the solar farm to local causes, supporting community projects to help improve the environment and address fuel poverty.
The plans proved to be controversial, though, with 78 letters opposing the development submitted to the district council. Concerns included the loss of agricultural land, increased traffic volumes during the construction and decommissioning of the solar farm, the negative impact on tourism for the area and destruction of natural habitats and wildlife.
Richard Gotch, who has lived in Crimscote for over a decade and was co-ordinator of the opposition group, attended the meeting and represented his village’s residents who objected to the plans.
Giving his reaction to the approval, he told the Herald: “The almost complete lack of interest in questioning either the communities or the developers made it feel like a majority of councillors had decided how to vote before the meeting.
“Conflicting statements were ignored, the damage to roads and communities by the vast spike in HGV traffic through our villages was brushed under the carpet, and how the environmental mitigation on third party land will be enforced was left unanswered.
"We all agree that we need more renewable energy, but in the rush to boost the council’s green credentials without cost or thought, the concept of developing an energy strategy that delivers the end result with substantially less damage wasn’t even discussed.
“For me, new to local government, the blinkered lack of big-picture thinking was eye-opening.”
A total of 35 letters of support were received by the district council.
They highlighted the need for more renewable energy to minimise the effect of greenhouse gases, the income from the development would benefit local communities and that the development would have a low visual impact.
The planning officer who recommended approval said in a report the solar farm would bring a significant increase in the generation of a clean source of renewable energy, would contribute to the authority’s commitment to contribute to national carbon neutral targets, bring a source of income to the landowner’s business helping farm diversification over the lifetime of the development, bring short and long-term employment opportunities, and bring biodiversity enhancements.
