Anglesey: 150-acre solar farm approved despite opposition

Developers claim the site will produce 35 MW of electricity, enough to power 11,630 homes a year

Plans for a solar farm on Anglesey, which faced local opposition, have been approved by the Welsh government.

The development will cover around 150 acres (61 hectares) of land near the villages of Bryngwran and Caergeiliog.

Developers claim it could produce the electricity to power 11,630 homes a year, saving 7,161 tonnes of CO2.

However, a local campaign group had opposed the plans due to the loss of "good quality agricultural land".

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The application was passed this week by Minister for Climate Change Julie James based on the findings of planning inspectors.

The Say No To Traffwll Solar Farm group declared opposition to the plan and compared the loss of land locally to the flooding of Capel Celyn to create the Tryweryn reservoir in the 1960s.

Campaigners have opposed the plans for a new solar farm on Anglesey

The group has also criticised the Welsh government for sending them English-only correspondence confirming the decision.

There was concern regarding the visibility of the proposed panels and doubts over whether there would be any benefits for the local community.

Hywel Hughes, chairman of the group, told BBC Cymru Fyw: "The Traffwll area is a brand, we associate it with the novel Madam Wen and Cynan's poem Nico Annwyl... the development is not compatible with the history of this rich literary area.

"Obviously one understands the need for renewable energy - and we are not against that - but we saw this development as encroaching on to the heart of the community."

Hywel Hughes said he and fellow campaigners will "obviously have to move on now and live with the decision"

As the development is set generate over 10 MW, and therefore considered a major scheme, the final decision was for the Welsh government rather than Anglesey council, which normally decides on planning applications within the county.

Developers Low Carbon have described the initiative as "a significant opportunity to deliver clean, renewable energy… without undue impact to the local area".

The company declined to respond to a request for comment, but previously said that some of the land could still be used for grazing and will eventually return to full agricultural use once the solar panels had reached the end of their lifespans.

'Very disappointed'

The island's Senedd Member, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said he was "very disappointed" on behalf of the campaigners who had fought against the Traffwll development.

"Solar offers so much renewable energy potential, but there are far more innovative ways of doing it than to use some of our best and most productive farmland," he said.

"My thanks go to the campaign group - we must now work to ensure that Low Carbon engage fully with the community, and that real community benefits are realised."