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‘Do we have the tenacity to protect our agricultural land?’ is the question being posed by councillors after planning inspectors gave the green light to renewable energy applications.
Members of South Holland District Council have warned that the area could look very different in 10 years time if the ‘mad push’ for developing solar farms in the area continues.
The planning inspectorate has recently overturned a council decision to refuse permission to build a 49.9MW solar farm at Caudwell Farm, Holbeach St Matthews. It has also granted planning permission for the Outer Dowsing offshore wind farm, which includes a substation at Surfleet Marsh.
While Meridian Solar Farm Ltd wants to build a series of solar arrays on four parcels of land running between Crowland, Shepeau Stow and Sutton St Edmund. The total size of the development would be larger than the entire village of Cowbit.
Pathfinder Clean Energy UKDev Ltd (PACE) wants to build a 49.9MW solar farm on agricultural land off Guanockgate Road, Sutton St Edmund.
Ward member Coun Laura Eldridge has previously campaigned to keep solar farms off prime agricultural land in the region, calling for the Fens to become a protected area to safeguard its food production.
Coun Eldridge told that last full council meeting that each planning appeal came at a cost for the council and its residents – which should not be taken lightly.
She said: “I believe that we must now ask ourselves a broader and more strategic question with a growing number of large scale solar developments being proposed across our district, many on high quality agricultural land, will we as a local planning authority continue to show the tenacity needed to protect our best and most versatile agricultural land?”
Coun Henry Bingham, who is the portfolio holder in charge of planning, expressed his concerns about planning inspectors supporting applications such as Caudwell Farm.
He told the meeting that ‘more and more’ solar applications are going to be coming through as there is a ‘mad push’ for renewable energy.
Coun Bingham said: “If we are realistic massive swathes of South Holland and South Lincolnshire are going to be covered up by solar panels if this is the way they are going to go and overturn decisions.
“We are going to end up with cumulative impact at the end of the day. Do we say this little percentage per site, it’s fine but when you have thousands and thousands of acres coming forward, at what point do we say that percentage of South Holland and South Lincolnshire is enough?
“But while we still have town and city dwelling politicians running the country and making decisions on the countryside we are always going to be a target.”
He said that the officers will try to protect the area and stressed that the the authority is not opposed to solar – if it is the right location such as roof tops and lower grade land.
Coun Bingham went onto say: “South Lincolnshire is going to be a very different place in 10 years.”
Along with solar farm applications, South Holland is earmarked for cables, pylons and two substations under National Grid proposals.
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