Concern is being voiced that a Suffolk billionaire’s wishes have been denied after plans for a solar farm near his home which he opposed were finally given the green light.
Concern is being voiced that a Suffolk billionaire’s wishes were refused after a solar farm he spearheaded a judicial review against was approved this year.
It is understood that tech tycoon, Mike Lynch, backed a legal challenge into a decision to approve plans for the solar farm at Park Farm, off Loudham Hall Road, in Pettistree, near Woodbridge.
He opposed the British Solar Renewables’ plans in early 2024 due to the impact on the countryside setting and his beloved Loudham Estate.
On June 17, 2024, a judicial review was granted to examine the decision to approve plans for the 200-acre site, due to the impact on heritage sites in the vicinity.
The judicial review saw East Suffolk Council as the defendant, BSR Energy as the interested party and an unnamed party as the claimant.
It led to the approval of the plans being quashed due to its impact on heritage sites, namely Mr Lynch’s grade II estate, but also stated that it could be later returned to the committee.
However, Mr Lynch died in August 2024, when he drowned after his 56-metre superyacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily, and the application for the solar farm was approved in December.
Now, concern has been raised by East Suffolk leader Julia Ewart about the decision following Mr Lynch’s death.
She said: “It’s disappointing that Mr Lynch, who passed so tragically, didn’t achieve one of his last wishes, to protect the rural community around him, with the rejection of the solar farm.
“Mike wasn’t to be trifled with, as East Suffolk’s planners found out.”
“With him and his ilk number thinning out, who is going to protect Suffolk?
“It’s clear to me that with the demise of the older generation, Suffolk’s heritage, which is so important, has never known such peril.”
In response to the comments, Mark Packard, cabinet member for planning and coastal management at East Suffolk Council, defended the plans.
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He argued that the proposal was determined on its “individual merits” in accordance with local and national policy, and it was brought back to the planning committee for re-determination following the legal challenge.
Mr Packard said: “Motivated in part by Cllr Ewart’s repeated and unsubstantiated allegations about the integrity of planning officers and the planning process, ESC recently requested an independent review by the Planning Advisory Service (PAS).
“Their report was clear that the council’s committees operate in a professionally robust manner and that there was nothing to suggest that the decision-making process was anything but sound.”
He also outlined how the heritage impact assessment, which contributed to the planning committee’s decision, followed a full re-consultation with the community.
“It acknowledged that, while some people involved in the process may be unsatisfied with the decisions made, it did not mean that the process was flawed,” Mr Packard said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for British Solar Renewables said the project would generate enough energy for more than 5,000 family homes, while displacing more than 4,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
He added: “The project has been granted planning consent on two separate occasions and has been developed in line with local planning policy, following detailed technical assessment and consultation.”
The Lynch family were contacted for comment.
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