Worries grow over speculative solar farm applications

COUNCIL officials are eager to plan out places where solar farms would be acceptable, as worries over an increase in “speculative” applications grows.

Over the past year, there has been a notable increase in the number of solar farm applications for land around Derbyshire.

This includes a potential 540-acre solar farm stretching from Catton to Drakelow in South Derbyshire; a 325-acre solar farm in fields stretching from Alfreton towards Oakerthorpe in Amber Valley; a 170-acre solar farm in Lullington, South Derbyshire; a 160-acre solar farm in Inkersall Road, Staveley; and a 94-acre solar farm in fields north of Alfreton in Amber Valley.

In a Derbyshire County Council meeting, Cllr Barry Lewis, the authority’s leader, said there was a proposed solar farm which crosses into his division which he feels is not the correct site.

He says the rooftops of industrial sites and warehouses would be better suited instead of countryside areas.

Cllr Lewis said: “We have a lot of industrial roof space, is that not a better space? They could provide megawatts of electricity instead of taking up space in the countryside.” Discussing the application which crosses into North East Derbyshire, the 325-acre site which begins close to Alfreton, he said “is it a sound idea, probably not” and said the county needs to organise itself against “speculative applications”.

A report was discussed on devising a renewable energy strategy for Derbyshire, which states: “There has recently been a significant number of speculative planning applications within the county for substantial solar farms and there is little or nothing in the current Local Plans (council-led blueprints for future development) in terms of up-to-date evidence to guide the acceptable location of such developments.”

Cllr Garry Purdy, leader of Derbyshire Dales District Council, said: “I don’t want this country to follow Scotland with a plethora of wind farms.”

He said the technology around integrating solar panels into roof tiles was something he would like to see explored and implemented in new developments.

David Arnold, the council’s head of planning, said: “We do want renewable energy sites such as solar farms but in the right places.

“We have had a lot of speculative applications and we need acceptable places planned.”

We have a lot of industrial roof space, is that not a better space?

Cllr Barry Lewis