CAMPAIGN TO HALT SOLAR FARM BID:
ACAMPAIGN group has been set up by locals opposed to plans for a solar farm near a picturesque lake.
A scoping application has been submitted to the planning inspectorate by Parc Solar Traffwll Ltd for the 49.9MW capacity development covering seven separate parcels of land bordering Bryngwran, Llanfihangel yn Nhowyn and Caergeiliog in western Anglesey.
According to developers, the solar farm would generate enough clean energy to power around 12,250 homes per year and offset approximately 14,500 tonnes of CO2 each year – the equivalent of taking more than 5,500 cars off the road.
But a campaign against the plans is gathering momentum, with 700 residents having signed a petition against the plans going ahead at all.
A decision will be made by Government-appointed inspectors rather than Anglesey Council’s planning department, due to it generating over 10MW of energy, thus meaning it can be classified as a Development of National Significance (DNS).
The developers say that not all the designated land is intended to be used for the solar panels, with it being envisaged that some will be kept “panel free” for the benefit of local wildlife.
“The location and extent of these habitat areas are still being considered and further details will be provided in due course,” added the company.
But Vaughan Evans of Bryngwran, a member of the Say No To Traffwll Solar Parc group, said: “I’m not against the idea of solar panels at all, but just can’t understand why they want to put them here.
“We are talking about a site covering almost 300 acres of farmland across seven areas, all of which are good quality and support declining bird populations including choughs, and surely there are more appropriate places to put these panels?
“It will ruin the whole area, which is dependent on tourism, and won’t create any jobs locally.
“I can’t see any benefits, not to mention the chaos, given the narrow and windy roads we have in the area, that construction would inevitably bring.
“At a time when we’re facing great uncertainty, with Brexit and everything else going on, I find the idea of losing 279 acres of quality land to be quite crazy when we might need to put more land aside for the food needs of our growing population.”
The solar panels would be mounted on frames and have a maximum height of three metres above ground level and be connected to an existing substation by cabling over third party land or in the highway.
Anglesey Council will be consulted as part of the process as well as other statutory bodies including Natural Resources Wales and the RSPB – as the lake itself is an official nature reserve.
However, despite a request from the local authority that the socio-economic impact of the plan should be included as part of the developers’ full application, inspectors have decided that this would not be necessary.
The developers will, however, be expected to supply information regarding its possible impact on ecology & biodiversity, the landscape and visual impact, noise, flood risk and drainage.
It’s expected that a full application including reports on the above factors, will be submitted in due course.