Campaigners win fight against 185-acre Alfreton solar farm

Campaigners said they were 'hugely relieved' after the ruling

Controversial plans to build an 185-acre solar farm have been rejected by a government inspector.

Kronos Solar's plans for the site between Alfreton and Oakerthorpe were initially turned down by Amber Valley Borough Council, but the firm appealed.

A public inquiry, chaired by Paul Jackson, has now concluded the project would have "too much of an impact" on the area's character and appearance.

Campaigners said they were "hugely relieved" at the decision.

The 50 megawatt scheme would have been capable of generating enough renewable electricity to power 11,500 properties - three times the number of households in Alfreton, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In his ruling, Mr Jackson said the site would "extend the area of industrial development" into a place close to the town that is "currently open countryside".

He added that the fields characterising the countryside immediately west of Alfreton "would be largely subsumed".

'Very strong arguments'

Opposition included campaign group Save Alfreton Countryside, which collected 764 objection letters from residents.

The plans were also opposed by Amber Valley MP Nigel Mills and councillor Barry Lewis, leader of Derbyshire County Council.

A Save Alfreton Countryside spokesperson said: "We are hugely relieved the planning inspector has examined all the evidence and found in favour of the very strong arguments made against this hugely damaging proposal.

"We are grateful for the incredible support of the local community and councils which enabled us to secure legal representation to help our fight to protect this important landscape for future generations."

Kronos has been ordered to pay £342 to the campaign group for "unreasonable" behaviour during the inquiry - namely serving information to an expert witness 10 minutes before they were due to give evidence.

The developer has been contacted for comment.