West Lindsey: Solar farms plans 'catastrophic' - council boss

Planned large-scale solar farms in Lincolnshire would have "a catastrophic" impact on communities, a council leader has warned.

Four sites have been proposed for West Lindsey, with two crossing into neighbouring parts of Nottinghamshire.

If granted, they could generate enough energy for about 700,000 homes.

But West Lindsey Council leader Owen Bierley has warned they would take up valuable farmland and destroy rural communities.

Due to their size and predicted generating capacity, the proposed farms are classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).

As such, they are managed by the government's Planning Inspectorate rather than local planning officials.

Mr Bierley said he believed rural districts had a role to play in achieving self-sufficiency, but said the "sheer scale" of the proposals was "at odds with both local and national policy".

"It does not effectively balance the need for local social and economic prosperity, self-sufficiency in terms of food production and the protection of open countryside against the need to generate green energy nationally," he 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."

If given the go-ahead, the plans would remove the ability for the country to appropriately plan future land use and would "ultimately affect the country's ability to deliver sustainable food supply for future generations", he added.

Councillor Bierley has written to the Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, Graham Stuart, urging him to consider the wider impacts of the proposals.

However, Chris Hewitt, from Solar Energy UK, which represents companies operating in the UK energy sector, said in addition to the clean energy produced, solar could enhance both communities and the environment. 

He said the farming industry welcomed solar as part of its land management strategy, with solar farms meaning "you are more likely to see hedgerows and trees planted" for screening purposes.

The firm behind the Gate Burton project, south of Gainsborough, said the farm had the potential to produce enough energy to supply 160,000 homes

Meanwhile, it is believed the Cottam Solar Project and West Burton Solar Project, which both straddle the border with Nottinghamshire, could generate enough energy to power 180,000 and 144,000 homes respectively.

According to developers, the Tillbridge Solar project, between Gainsborough and Lincoln, could potentially generate enough energy for 200,000 homes.

West Burton has also been chosen to be the site of the UK's, and potentially the world's, first prototype commercial nuclear fusion reactor.

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