Lime Down Solar Park: Petition against solar farms at almost 8,000 names

Almost 8,000 people have signed a petition against large solar farms following plans for a development covering 2,000 acres (810 hectares) in Wiltshire.

Lime Down Solar Park is designed to create 500MW of clean energy - said to be enough to power 115,000 homes - from six sites in villages in the county.

The government will respond to the petition if it reaches 10,000 names.

Developer Island Green Power says it will give a "net gain in biodiversity".

Locations covered by the plans include agricultural land in the villages of Sherston, Hullavington and Stanton St Quintin, near Malmesbury.

The sites would be connected into the National Grid's substation in Melksham, the proposals say.

The developer also plans to construct panels measuring 9.02ft (2.75m) in height, as well as a 9.84ft (3m) high security fence.

Campaigners say the project would cover productive farmland in a "beautiful and biodiverse countryside", including more than 300 acres (121 hectares) on the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort's Badminton Estate.

James Gray, the MP for North Wiltshire, said the plans for Lime Down Solar Park were "scandalous".

In a blog post written in March, he added: "What is proposed is an absolutely monstrous destruction of some of the most lovely landscapes in North Wiltshire; it will wholly destroy the area's natural beauty, it will require industrial scale development, and it will make poor little Wiltshire by far the biggest contributor to solar energy in the UK.

"Not only all of that, but especially at a time like this, I am firmly of the view that our highly productive farms should be producing food not sacrificed on the altar of climate change."

Campaign group Stop Lime Down Solar Park is challenging the developer's plans.

A spokesperson from the group said: "This is not an anti-solar campaign, we believe that large industrial solar farms should be located on former industrial sites or next to motorways, not on productive farmland."

Natasha Worrall, project development manager at Island Green Power, said Lime Down Solar Park would provide "a significant amount of clean electricity for businesses and homes in the region".

"As well as providing clean electricity which helps us move away from polluting fossil fuels, it is our ambition to design the project in a way that also boosts and enhances local wildlife by delivering a net gain in biodiversity."

She added: "We are dedicated to responsible land use and believe that the development and delivery of utility-scale farms can co-exist harmoniously with their environment," she added.

The developer is running a six-week public consultation, which ends on 26 April.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.