An image showing where the solar farm would be built at Trevarthian Farm, near Marazion(Image: Google Earth / Cornwall Council)
A contentious planning application by the centuries-old St Aubyn Estates for a solar farm on over 25 acres of agricultural land will come before a Cornwall Council committee again next week.
The proposal – which the chair of the local parish council said has caused "unprecedented amounts of anxiety" in the area – was deferred by councillors earlier this year to allow for a site visit, which took place last month.
The solar farm, across three fields at Trevarthian Farm, near Marazion, would be operational for 40 years and provide enough clean energy for 4,345 homes.
The general consensus among members of Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee at a meeting in February was that they wanted to refuse the controversial "industrial development near a World Heritage Site" near Penzance but were being forced to allow it due to policy and the threat of huge costs to the council if a subsequent appeal by the applicant was successful.
St Aubyn Estates was the owner of St Michael's Mount, until it gifted the island to the National Trust.
To see all the planning applications, traffic diversions, road layout changes, alcohol licence applications and more in your area, visit the Public Notice Portal HERE
The council's planning department recommended approval as it "considered that the benefits of the proposed development in terms of significant renewable energy provision during a climate emergency outweigh the harm caused".
That possible harm included food security fears as the solar farm would be built on a site that was 70 per cent "best and most versatile agricultural land" and its close proximity to Grade II listed Trevarthian Farmhouse and the Tregonning and Gwinear Mining Districts World Heritage Site.
The meeting heard that both St Hilary and Ludgvan parish councils objected to the proposal, which also includes a battery energy storage system (BESS), as did local Cornwall councillor John Martin, who originally brought the matter to committee.
The World Heritage Site office and the Environment Agency (EA) also opposed the proposal.
There have been 58 comments on the council's planning portal, 56 of which are against with just two in favour.
A photomontage showing how the proposed solar farm could look in the landscape(Image: Landscape Visual)
Cllr George Ford, chair of St Hilary Parish Council, said at February's meeting: "This application has provoked unprecedented amounts of anxiety.
"At a well-attended public meeting it attracted overwhelming opposition from residents and is the subject of an online petition which has received the signatures of over 1,500 opponents and a storm of public objections on the planning portal.
"We've heard local farmers say they would love to farm the land – its loss would permanently reduce the area's agricultural capacity and harm the rural economy.
"This landscape is cherished for its beauty and recreational use. The Ramblers Association and West Cornwall Footpaths Preservation Society have objected due to harms of public rights of way and enjoyment of this historic landscape."
Zac Hemborough, planning agent for St Aubyn Estates, said there would be a 21 per cent biodiversity net gain, including new hedgerows, which would "significantly enhance the ecological value of what is currently intensively managed farmland".
He said the solar farm would be overseen by the estates, which has managed the land for generations and was "not an anonymous development company".
Mr Hemborough added that landscape impacts would be mitigated by planting and screening, with public rights of way preserved and open during construction and operation. He also promised that the EA's technical concerns would be met.
Henry Matthews, head of land and property at St Aubyn Estates, which owns 5,000 acres of land in west Cornwall and employs 200 local people, said the estate's interest in the project was not "short-term" but rooted in land stewardship "over centuries not decades".
"We recognise this is a sensitive landscape valued by the local community and is close to important heritage assets," he added. "That is precisely why this scheme is not the large proposal encompassing 20 fields originally explored during a pre-application inquiry in 2021.
"We listened to public consultation and we are continuing to listen. St Aubyn Estates is not looking to industrialise the landscape – we are seeking to diversify responsibly."
Following discussion by committee members, a vote to approve failed, while a subsequent proposal to vote to hold a site inspection led to a heated and at times terse debate about whether councillors should refuse it. In the end, the committee voted to defer to visit the site.
The site inspection meeting was held on March 18 when committee members were shown each part of the development site from selected viewpoints, with public rights of way and the proximity to the Tregonning and Gwinear Mining Districts World Heritage Site pointed out. The inspection also took in the location of the Grade II listed Trevarthian Farmhouse and its front garden walls.
The application comes before a meeting of the strategic planning committee again on Thursday, April 23, and is recommended for conditional approval.
To sign up to the weekly Cornwall Politics newsletter click here.
Want the latest Cornwall breaking news and top stories first?
Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CKObHkgJF4T5fRZxiGdYqd We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice: https://bit.ly/41EZjzx
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.

source