Public support leads to approval for solar farm

Plans to build a solar farm in Nottinghamshire have been approved after people who live nearby gave strong support for the project.

The Heron solar farm is set to be built on land off Stragglethorpe Road, near Radcliffe on Trent, and will generate power for almost 8,000 homes.

While other planned solar farms in the county face opposition, more than three-quarters of the 36 people who attended consultation events supported the plans.

Rushcliffe Borough Council has officially given the proposal the green light, and developers said work is expected to take between seven and nine months to complete.

The solar farm will cover 51 hectares of land, which is the equivalent to the size of about 70 football pitches, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Rob Waitling is one of the individuals who wrote to the council in support of the application.

He said the plans are a "no-brainer" and hopes they will prevent the authority from "authorising more licenses for gas and oil [plans]."

Cotgrave resident Pauline Isabelle said: “This proposed solar farm does not ‘inflict’ itself on the landscape and is not an eyesore.

“It will provide additional habitation for wildlife and have the added benefit of providing electricity for the local area.”

No Nottinghamshire County councillors or parish councils objected to the plans, despite several other solar farms being based in the area.

The developers, JBM Solar Projects, plan on donating £264,000 to Cotgrave Town Council to support local initiatives.

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