Council rejects plan for solar farm despite changes

Changes to the original Cruxton Solar Farm design included the removal of some panels from the northern section to create a picnic area

A council has rejected a revised plan for a solar farm despite changes to the design and local support.

The application for the 43-acre (17.6 hectares) site at Cruxton, south of Maiden Newton, followed a previous appeal dismissed by the Secretary of State in 2022.

Developers Enviromena had reduced the scheme's capacity from 11.8 megawatts to 10 megawatts - still enough to power more than 5,000 homes - the equivalent to 3% of Dorset's households or a town the size of Blandford Forum.

But Dorset councillors agreed with an officer recommendation that there would still be "an unacceptable impact" on the sensitive landscape surrounding the site.

Local farmer Anthony Warren called the plan changes "lipstick on a pig"

The application was to install solar panels across the farmland within the Dorset National Landscape, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Changes to the original proposals included the removal of some panels from the northern part of the site to create a picnic area with information boards and panels to be moved further away from the Macmillan Way, a national public footpath running from Boston to Abbotsbury.

The site lies outside the defined development boundary and is surrounded by public rights of way, listed buildings and scheduled burial mounds.

Local farmer Anthony Warren called the changes to the plan "lipstick on a pig," and warned about the cumulative loss of England's countryside.

But ward councillor Neil Eysenck said Maiden Newton and Frome Vauchurch parish council had backed the project, eager to contribute to climate action.

Greens' Belinda Bawden said although it was a difficult decision, it was important to transition to clean energy as fast as possible.

Radipole councillor Matt Bell argued the scheme struck a balance between landscape protection and climate action.

Steven Bainbridge from Environmena, who lives 400 metres from the site, noted that the Planning Inspector had previously found environmental impacts for the site to be acceptable and stressed the urgency of grid access.

He said there was an offer for connection to the National Grid close to the site, something he said was often difficult to achieve.

Mr Bainbridge said other benefits, apart from power production, would be on-going employment.