Developers lodge appeal against solar farm rejection

Councillors were concerned about loss of farmland

A solar farm could still be built in rural west Somerset after an appeal was lodged.

Elgin Energy applied in December 2021 to build a new solar farm north of Tropiquaria Zoo on the A39, near the village of Washford, on land owned by the Wyndham Estate.

Somerset Council's Planning Committee West threw out the plans in July 2023, citing the damage to protected landscapes and the loss of high-quality agricultural land.

But this decision could soon be overturned after the London-based energy company lodged a formal appeal with the Planning Inspectorate.

'Disaster waiting to happen'

The proposed solar farm would span several fields north of the Washford transmitting station, running from the B3190 Washford Hill to the Mineral Line active travel route, which connects Washford to the nearby town of Watchet.

Elgin Energy, which first consulted on the proposals back in May 2018, said the solar farm would provide around 25 million kWh of electricity per year – enough to provide power for 7,500 households.

A battery energy storage site will also be created near the site, allowing Elgin Energy to store surplus energy and sell it back to the National Grid at peak times.

Robert Dibble, the current tenant farmer at Kentsford Farm, told the planning committee on 18 July 2023 that building a solar farm on this land would be "a disaster just waiting to happen".

He said: "I have lived and worked on the farm for 60 years.

"At the time when there is a national food crisis, it is vital that use of the most versatile land should continue – food security is just as important as energy security. The proposed solar installation shows total disregard for the running of the farm, splitting the holding into two."

The committee voted unanimously to reject the plans, with concerns over impact on the landscape and loss of agricultural land.

Development is 'temporary'

A spokesman for RPS Group - representing Elgin Energy - said in its appeal statement that the damage to agricultural land and the surrounding landscape would be minimal, given that the solar farm would only be a temporary installation.

The spokesman said: "The proposed development is temporary in nature, albeit for 40 years.

"It would not be a permanent and total loss of land. The majority of the land could continue in agricultural use during the operation of the solar farm, although this would not be in line with its current agricultural use as arable land.

"This proposed site has been selected as it is not within a designated area (i.e. a national park or national landscape).

"New landscaping secured through planning conditions would mitigate the impact on the public right of ways to an acceptable level."

The Planning Inspectorate has confirmed the appeal will be resolved through written representations, rather than an in-person public inquiry.