Major solar project given go-ahead by government

A major solar farm project in Lincolnshire has been given the go-ahead by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband despite local objections to the plan.

The 600MW Cottam Solar Project, which will be located east of Willingham by Stow in West Lindsey, was granted development consent on Thursday, the government announced.

Local councillors had previously rejected the plans, citing concerns over the impact it would have on farmland and traffic and a lack of supporting infrastructure.

However, Mr Miliband said: "Solar is one of the cheapest sources of power and we must take advantage of the clean and secure energy."

The project will consist off four ground-mounted solar energy generating stations, four sub-stations, a battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure.

The proposed development will be spread across four separate sites which lie across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

Due to its size, the Cottam development is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

NSIPs are normally assigned to major projects including airports and major roads and bypass normal local planning requirements..

In 2022, the former leader of West Lindsey District Council, Owen Bierley said: "If these NSIP proposals, and others like them, are allowed to go forward, driven by market forces and economic expediency alone, the impact on the countryside and rural communities would be catastrophic."

Reacting to the news, Councillor Tom Smith, from Lincolnshire County Council, said: "I'm gutted for the local people, I think it's the wrong decision. It's in the wrong place and the wrong use of good agricultural land.

"These proposed developments will be a huge harm to the local area in terms of agriculture and tourism."

The application by Cottam Solar Project Limited was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration on 12 January 2023 and accepted for examination on 9 February the same year.

Following evidence from the public, the local authority and interested parties, recommendations for the project were made to the Secretary of State on 5 June 2024.

Mr Miliband said: "This government is determined to give families and businesses energy security by getting off the rollercoaster of unstable international gas markets that led to increased bills.

“The only way to do this is to back cheap, homegrown energy which boosts our economy and supports us in lowering bills for good.

“Today’s decision is one of four I’ve made in the last eight weeks, which provide almost 2GW of solar enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.