Controversial solar farm in Stroud approved

Stroud District Council’s development control committee approved the scheme by seven votes in favour and three against

Controversial plans for a massive solar farm in a district have been approved.

Permission was granted to British Solar Renewables Energy for the farm which will lie west of World's End Farm in Clapton near Berkeley, Gloucestershire.

Around 160 acres (64.75 hectares) of fields will be covered in ground mounted photovoltaic panels.

The 50 megawatt solar panel installation, which will be allowed to be there for 45 years, can power up to 12,500 homes.

It can also save more than 11,702 tonnes of CO2 emission per year.

Councillor Lindsey Green (C, Berkeley Vale) called on Stroud District Council's development control committee on July 25 to reject the scheme, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

She said her ward already produces more than enough renewable energy and is a net exporter of electricity.

She echoed the concerns Ham and Stone Parish Council raised regarding the site's remote location and the pressure construction will add to the tiny country lanes.

She said: "It is always tempting to approve measures associated with carbon reduction ambitions however we could end up seeing solar panels across the area of outsanding natural beauty, Selsley Common, Rodborough Common and Stratford Park.

"We are not nimbys. I have highlighted the positive role Berkeley Vale already plays in the production of power.

Councillor Lindsey Green said the application was a "step too far" and conflicts with national and local planning policies.

British Solar Renewables' planning agent said the the company's mission is to create abundant and accessible renewable energy.

"The proposed development represents an exciting project which will produce a significant amount of renewable energy. The site is chosen after meticulous search of land and data available.

"There are no other available sites that would have been able to accommodate this development. It's a temporary installation and following decommission the land would be restored to its original state."

The committee voted to approve the scheme by seven votes in favour and three against.