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Councillors have pushed back a decision on plans to install 70,000 solar panels between three villages.
Opdenergy UK 23 Limited’s bid to build a 53-hectare solar farm between Knox Lane and the A143 Bury Road, near Bury St Edmunds, was discussed at West Suffolk Council’s development control committee.
The solar farm, which would sit between the villages of Bardwell, Ixworth and Stanton, would have a capacity of 42 megawatts, enough to power more than 9,500 homes annually.
But councillors voted with a mind to refuse the application over concerns around glint and glare, noise, landscaping and the loss of best-quality land.
Cllr Lora-Jane Miller-Jones said potential glint and glare on the road while new planting matures ‘could end up killing someone’.
A risk assessment report will now be put together by officers looking into whether the reasons for refusal can stand up to scrutiny, with a final decision then due at a future meeting.
Members’ decision followed a total of 70 objections submitted to the authority ahead of the meeting, alongside formal opposition by Bardwell Parish Council.
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Karren Witton, of Bardwell PC, said the plans were a ‘step too far’ and warned against sacrificing food production for energy.
“We can have both; let’s protect our rural communities for us and the future generations,” she said.
Tony Cooke, a resident, said the plans would industrialise ‘what is a quintessential agricultural Suffolk landscape’.
Ixworth Parish Council supported the bid, while Stanton PC did not comment.
The planning officer, who recommended approval, said although the loss of agricultural land weighed against the plans, the limited 40-year lifespan, as well as the proposed grazing and restoration, made up for the impacts.
Likewise, recognised harms to the landscape and heritage were outweighed by the public benefits of renewable energy.
Simon Betts, the agent, told members the plans would help in addressing high energy costs and build energy resilience.
The solar farm would be connected to the grid at Stanton Primary Substation, operated by UK Power Networks, through an underground cable below Glassfield Road.
The three-hour discussion failed to convince councillors, who pushed the decision back with eight votes to three.
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