Call to spread UK solar farms 'more evenly'

Lime Down, one of the biggest solar farms in the UK, could be built in Wiltshire

Concerns have been raised that some villages in Wiltshire are now "completely surrounded" by solar farms.

Wiltshire Council will vote on whether to call on the government to ensure that solar farms are “more evenly spread across the UK” and “not concentrated in specific areas effectively industrialising the countryside" due to concerns.

The vote comes weeks after the public consultation behind what would be one of the biggest solar farms in the country ended.

Conservative councillors Phil Alford and Nick Botterill said a concentration of solar farms represents a “significant cumulative impact”.

The motion was submitted by the two councillors ahead of the council meeting on 21 May, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

If approved, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove will be asked to take clear steps to ensure that solar developments are more “evenly spread” across the country.

The motion also states: “We would also ask for clarity of the priority given to ensuring that food production and farming are not destroyed as industries in specific areas through an excessive concentration of solar farms given the massive impact that would have on the rural way of life in villages that have been farmed for time immemorial.”

Lime Down Solar Park could be built across 2,000 acres of farmland

There are more than 40 working solar farms in the county and numerous others under construction or going through the planning process.

In November 2023, campaigners called on Wiltshire Council to pause the developments.

Developers Island Green Power wants to build solar panels on 2,000 acres of farmland across six villages in Wiltshire in the Lime Down Solar Park project.

More than 14,000 people, including farmers and residents, have signed a petition against the plans.