Councillors meeting in Kendal this morning considered two planning applications for solar farms in communities around Penrith. One application at Shap and one at Calthwaite.
Both applications have attracted strong opposition to the proposed solar farms the meeting today was called after councillor last month voted to defer the decision on both applications until they had held a site visit.
The Shap application proposes covering around 31 hectares of open countryside with solar panels and battery storage infrastructure for a period of up to 40 years has generated strong opposition locally and from across the UK, with more than 230 formal objections submitted to Westmorland and Furness Council and a petition signed by over 250 people opposed to the plans.
Westmorland and Furness Council planning officers concluded that the development would cause unacceptable harm to the landscape and rural character of the area.
Andrew Williamson-Holt the councils principal planning officers said the scale and siting of the solar farm would result in significant visual harm to the surrounding countryside, and that this damage would outweigh the benefits of renewable energy generation at this location.
Mr Williamson-Holt gave his recommendation to refuse the application to the six councillors at the Westmorland and Furness Council Strategic Planning Committee.
In summing up his presentation to the councillors “Officers cannot be comfortable with this industrial esk development in this landscape”
“This development is unacceptable due to the impacts on the landscape.”
Despite the officer’s recommendation to refuse a proposal to accept and approve the application was proposed by Cllr Simpkin (Libdem) and Seconded by Cllr McCall (Libdem) leading to a heated debate among the members of the strategic planning committee before the proposal to accept and approve the application was voted down and the committee voted to refuse the application.
Councillors have now moved onto determine the second solar farm application at Calthwaite with the officer recommendation to approve the application despite strong local opposition. Councillors are new debating the application with a vote expected in the next hour to determine if it’s approved.
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