Council leader calls solar plans a 'monstrosity'

Protestors have been outside Wiltshire Council on Tuesday

A new council leader has called proposals for a 2,000 acre solar farm "a monstrosity that is a step too far".

Councillor Ian Thorn, Liberal Democrat leader of Wiltshire Council since May, told the BBC he is "very concerned" about the controversial plans for the Lime Down Solar Park on farmland in the north of the county.

The previous Conservative administration was also against it, but the application will be decided by the government due to it's size.

Campaigners have been protesting outside Wiltshire Council on Tuesday - developers Island Green Power (ICP) have always said it would power 115,000 homes.

The company said the project would "support national and regional aims to decarbonise our electricity systems and bolster our energy security".

ICP finished a consultation earlier this month and hopes to submit a planning application in September.

Wiltshire Council leader Ian Thorn has called the plan a "monstrosity"

Thorn said: "We're not talking about an everyday solar farm. It will have an enormous, irreparable effect on our county."

While the authority will not make the final decision, he said the council will be feeding back and sharing it's views.

"We are supportive of renewable energy, of traditional solar farms, but this is a monstrosity that is a step too far," he said.

Residents in many north Wiltshire villages have been protesting against the proposals

Many agree - plenty were stood outside Wiltshire Council's HQ, County Hall in Trowbridge, protesting.

Sir Michael Pitt from Stop Lime Down Solar Park said: "People are very passionate - right from day one when it was first announced, there was an eruption of anger about the proposals.

"We are supporters of solar but it has to be in the right place. It has to be in places that don't damage the environment."

Richard Skeffington is a retired environmental scientist and has concerns about the batteries needed to store energy

Richard Skeffington, a retired environmental scientist and professor, is also against the project: "I never knew they were contemplating something so silly as this."

He said his main worry is in relation to large battery fields where the energy would be stored.

He explained that while fires are rare, they were "devastating" when they do happen.

He said: "They can't be put out so they have to leave them to burn out.

"They release toxic gases. They wet the adjacent batteries so they don't set on fire and that gets into he groundwater."

Lesley Bennett is a supporter of the scheme and is "certain it'll do good"

Lesley Bennet is a local resident and supports the project.

She said: "I think it's really good. We're lucky we have a suitable site and build something that will improve the world for our grandchildren.

"I'm certain it'll do good. We want to produce our own energy and be independent."

She mentioned it will allow alternative species to thrive and give land a rest from ploughing.

"This isn't the whole countryside - it's only a part of the countryside. I would be against it if it was - but it isn't," she said.

The solar park would cover more than 2,000 acres of Wiltshire countryside

The solar park would be spread across six locations around Hullavington, Stanton St Quintin, Sherston, and Luckington.

They would be connected to the National Grid's Melksham substation through underground cabling – which would have to be channelled under the M4.

ICP have said it was "grateful for all the feedback received from members of the public and interested parties during our statutory consultation and the recent targeted consultation".

The company said it was considering feedback as they refine the plans before submitting to the Planning Inspectorate.

As the capacity of the proposed development is over 50 megawatts, the project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.

The government's energy security department has said solar farms cover 0.1% of the land area in the UK, "while bringing huge benefits for the British public and our energy security".

The department said there is a rigorous planning process.

"Solar is at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower," it said.

Additional reporting from Local Democracy Reporter, Peter Davison.