Rejected solar farm plans still on the cards

The solar farm is set for green belt land in Longford, to the north of Coventry

A council is continuing to back a project to build a solar farm in Coventry, even though plans have been rejected by councillors.

Coventry City Council and energy company E.ON are still exploring options for the scheme at Lenton’s Lane, Longford, state council papers.

The update comes nine months after committee members rejected plans amid widespread backlash from residents.

Officers stressed its benefits, but dozens of locals objected and hundreds signed petitions against it.

At the time of the decision, a farmer told the council his business would become unviable if the scheme went ahead, and countryside groups also opposed the move.

But new documents show plans for a solar farm in the area have not been abandoned.

The council and E.ON are developing options for the solar farm according to an update on the pair’s 15-year “strategic energy partnership”.

The report states the solar farm would be around 23 megawatts (MW), which could power around 5,000 homes.

This is smaller than the 30 MW farm originally planned for the site, which had been billed as able to power more than 7,500 homes.

The scheme will be brought back to planning next year after further work is completed, the report added.

E.ON said it would fund the solar farm, subject to planning and a future business case.

Councillors are due to discuss the partnership at a meeting on Wednesday.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.