The rejection of a vast solar farm that could have powered 15,000 homes was met with applause after concerns were raised over Nottinghamshire's greenbelt. A plan to turn farmland to the south of Gotham and the west of East Leake, between Stocking Lane and Kegworth Road, into a vast solar farm was recommended for approval at Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee on March 9, but was rejected unanimously by councillors.
The plans included the construction and operation of ground-mounted photovoltaic solar arrays, a substation, inverter stations, security measures like fencing and CCTV, and site access. It is estimated the solar panels, located across 16 fields and spanning a total of 80.65 hectares, would have generated approximately 49.9 megawatts of renewable energy, which is enough to power 15,200 homes annually.
But members of the planning committee were critical of the plan's potential impact on the "scenic" area, which falls within the Nottingham and Derby green belt. Councillor Carys Thomas, independent representative for East Leake, said: "I ask you to refuse the application because the magnitude and nature of the proposals would have a majorly adverse impact on landscape character and visual amenity. Very special circumstances have not been demonstrated in this case because the wider environmental benefit of the renewable energy generation does not outweigh the harm to the greenbelt."
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The councillor argued there were a number of large solar farms in the planning process, with two already approved. Committee members were in agreement that any harm to the greenbelt, in terms of openness and visual amenity, would not be outweighed by the renewable energy production.
Councillors unanimously voted against the project, with a round of applause from local residents following the decision. Councillor Richard Butler, chair of Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee, added: "From a personal point of view I am rather like other colleagues - I like solar energy and solar farms, they are good.
"But I think having personally visited the site, it is high and it did hit me [that] it was prominent. I'm certainly not against solar energy but I think it needs to be in the right place and the right scale."
The solar farm would have been operated for 40 years and then be decommissioned so the land could return to its previous state, unless another application was approved, with only the substation and site access remaining permanently if not. The point of connection for the proposed development into the electricity grid would have been through an overhead line which runs over the site.
Applicant RES said it was disappointed by Rushcliffe Borough Council's rejection of the plan, and that it would consider its next steps after a review of the decision. A spokesperson said: "At a time when energy security is at the forefront of the public’s consciousness, we are disappointed with Rushcliffe Borough Council’s decision to refuse RES’ application for the proposed Kingston Solar Farm.
"Not only is the planning committee’s ruling at odds with the case officer’s recommendation to approve the scheme, this outcome is also a missed opportunity to help deliver cheap, clean and secure electricity for consumers. We’ll now take time to carefully review the decision before considering any next steps."
Claire Chamberlain, Development Project Manager at RES, added: “The consultation process allowed us to identify and respond to local issues and we have worked hard over the last two years to make iterations in order to design a scheme that fits sensitively in the surrounding landscape. Listening and acting on that feedback, getting the recommendation for approval from the council’s own planner and for the project not to be approved means we’re naturally very disappointed.”
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