Large solar project will ruin prime land, say campaigners

Plans for a large solar farm project in the East Midlands will ruin prime agricultural land and destroy wildlife and biodiversity, farmers and campaigners have warned.

Renewable energy developer Island Green Power has announced plans for large-scale solar farms that would collectively generate more than 1,000MW of energy to power 324,000 homes.

The project is seeking to replace decommissioned coal-fired power stations at Cottam and West Burton. Cottam closed this year and EDF plans to close West Burton next September.

See also: Huge solar farm sparks calls for ‘food versus fuel’ debate

The landowner is the Henry Smith Charity, a London-based organisation, which is being advised by Savills as its land agents.

At Gringley on the Hill village in north Nottinghamshire, there is a proposal for one of seven of the solar farm sites, “West Burton 4”, which could cover up to 243ha (600 acres).

Once the developer has received feedback on the proposals, the secretary of state is expected to decide if the project will go ahead in 2023.

Chris Hardy farms a 32ha cereal farm alongside his father Philip next to the proposed West Burton 4 site, which lies between two conservation villages, Clayworth and Gringley.

The Hardys own the farm and they will not lose land if the project goes ahead. However, it may require a cable route to West Burton which could affect them.

Farmland surrounding the proposed site at Gringley on the Hill © Chris Hardy

Covid lesson

Mr Hardy is part of campaign group #NoSolarDesert which is opposed to the plans.

“Nobody in our group is against solar, but just not at the expense of prime arable land and wildlife,” he said.

“This 600-acre site is prime arable land and I believe as a country we need to be more self-sufficient in food production. If Covid has taught us anything, it’s how fragile the global supply chain is.

“Besides producing food, the land is already producing green energy as oilseed rape and feed wheat is grown there and processed for biodiesel and bioethanol. The straw is also baled for use in one of the local straw-fired power stations, at Brigg or Sleaford.

“In the construction, it’s believed that due to the nature of the site and the panels, large amounts of concrete may have to be used, polluting the soils. All this at a time so soon after the changes to farming rules for water.”

The group says the site does not meet Island Green Power’s own published criteria for low grade land, or former brownfield sites. If the project goes ahead, there will be a loss of jobs for tenant farmers, tractor drivers, machinery dealers and related industries.

The developers IGP/Henry Smith say the Clayworth site can power 50,000 out of a total of 160,000 homes (31%) for the whole West Burton project.

Campaigners say 23,000 4.5m tall tracking panels, spaced every 10m, will be necessary to meet the 149MW demand on the 243ha site. If these were laid end to end, they would form a line 110 miles long, almost the same distance as from Clayworth to London.

‘Land deal’

Bassetlaw District Council leader Simon Greaves told BBC Look North: “One of the first things everyone will say is, ‘no one is against solar’. Everyone recognises there is a need to reduce our carbon footprint in this country.

“My query is whether doing this, in this particular location, is the best thing. It looks to me that this is more like a land deal with a willing landowner to plug into the grid. I don’t see any jobs being created out of this either.”

A spokesman for Island Green Power said: “While the project’s importance is clear, we do of course recognise the need to deliver it sensitively with respect to the local environment.

“We are at an early stage in the process and are committed to working with local communities and stakeholders to address potential concerns by refining our plans.”

• Got a view on this? Email chief reporter Philip Case at philip.case@markallengroup.com or send a letter to our Letters editor, Philip Clarke, at philip.clarke@markallengroup.com