Solar farm given go-ahead after planning appeal

The solar farm will be built south of Little Hale Drove in Little Hale

A developer has successfully appealed against a decision to refuse permission to build a solar farm in Lincolnshire.

North Kesteven Council blocked the 77-hectare development between Sleaford and Boston last year, citing concerns over loss of farmland.

However, the government's planning inspector said the decision was incorrect, as the solar farm would be for a temporary period of 40 years.

Its developer AGR Solar 3 Ltd said the site south of Little Hale Drove in Little Hale could produce around 50MW of electricity, enough to power a town the size of Sleaford.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the planning inspector initially planned to hold a hearing into the plans, but ruled in favour of the application at the last moment.

Nick Feltham, the council's development manager, told councillors at a recent meeting the planning inspector had concluded there was not a loss of permanent, top quality farmland.

He added: "There's no indication that the quality of the soil would degrade after 40 years. The panel could be easily removed and returned to farming.

"The inspector also highlighted the critical need for renewable energy infrastructure."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices.