Solar farm plans rejected due to local opposition

Proposals to build a solar farm on land next to Sotby Woods were refused

Plans to build a new solar farm have been rejected after opposition from residents and politicians.

East Lindsey District Council’s (ELDC) planning committee turned down a proposal from Push Energy to build a solar farm on land next to Sotby Woods on Sturton Road in Hatton, near Horncastle.

The applicants said the development would have powered about 21,000 homes per year.

The BBC has approached Push Energy for comment.

The developers said the farm would have removed the equivalent of 12,500 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere every year which would help ELDC meet its net zero targets.

The plan for the 49.9 megawatts solar farm said permission would last for 40 years from the date of first generation, but the 132kV substation and framework would be kept on a permanent basis.

However, the plans were scrutinised as the council received 378 formal objections after a petition started by locals reached 479 signatures.

The committee formally refused the application because of its potential impact on the Sturton Harden Corner Farmhouse and the surrounding landscape, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The applicants said the development would have powered about 21,000 homes per year

Councillor Ruchira Yarsley from the Hatton Action Group, said she was “absolutely ecstatic” following the decision.

“We’re not against renewables. Nobody can be in this day and age,” she said.

Yarsley added a number of local businesses rely on “rural tourism” and spoiling the scenic countryside views would impact on them.

“If you are going to surround those assets with solar, no one is going to come,” she said.

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