Government approves solar farm despite opposition

Controversial plans for a huge solar farm have been approved by the government.

Ed Miliband, new secretary of state for energy security and net zero, gave the go-ahead for the 2,000-acre (8sq km) Mallard Pass project straddling the Rutland and Lincolnshire border on Friday.

More than 3,000 people signed a petition opposing the scheme, arguing it would take up prime farmland.

However the government said any harm caused by the solar farm would be outweighed by the benefits of it providing enough clean energy to power some 92,000 homes.

The solar farm, at Essendine, will be more than four miles (6.5km) end to end, and would operate for up to 60 years.

A decision on the scheme had been put back during the election campaign.

Conservative MP for Rutland and Stamford, Alicia Kearns, who led opposition to the project, said she was "utterly appalled" by the decision.

In a post on X, she said she was considering a legal challenge to the decision, which she described as "a slap in the face".

She said: "I am sorry to all those who have campaigned so hard, for so long, and whose voices were flagrantly dismissed."

Mrs Kearns also said the loss of farming land threatened the UK's food security and questioned whether Mr Miliband had "engaged with the detail" or read all the documentation.

However, in a letter setting out the decision, deputy director for energy infrastructure planning David Wagstaff said Mr Miliband had considered all representations, including the MP's.

He said: "The secretary of state has considered the overall planning balance and has concluded that the public benefits associated with the proposed development outweigh the harm identified, and that development consent should therefore be granted."

The proposed development is considered a nationally-significant infrastructure project due to its size and nature.

As a result, South Kesteven District Council and Rutland County Council are unable to decide whether to approve the plans.

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