Residents will be ‘upset’ about solar farm says councillor
Another solar farm twice the size planned nearby
A COUNCILLOR has hit out at plans for a large solar farm to the north of Barwell, saying that residents will firmly oppose the scheme.
Cllr Huw Williams, who represents the village on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, said there will be a “great deal of upset” about the 32 hectare scheme, off Ashby Road to the east of Stapleton.
The energy complex would be installed on an area of fields just above the 132.4 hectare site where the controversial 2,500 home Barwell SUE is to be built.
Cllr Williams said: “My concern is that Barwell got very upset about the Barwell SUE development.
“We had the biggest protest Hinckley has ever seen - there was a very strong feeling from the people of Barwell about using more green space.
“Barwell with the SUE is going to double in size. People just don’t want any more development.
“I think this will cause a great deal of upset.”
A document filed with the application for the 23.5MW solar farm said it would generate enough renewable energy to power 7,120 homes in the area.
It said: “The site is not within or adjacent to any sensitive landscape allocations or designations. Careful site choice, the retention of existing screening and proposed screening in and around the site will minimise impacts.”
But cllr Williams said that the project will inevitably have an impact on the landscape and that it would damage the rural feel of the area.
Plans have also been filed for a solar farm almost twice the size of the Barwell project, to the south east of Sutton Cheney, at Hangman’s Hall.
The 35MW project would be in place for a period of 30 years, plus up to four months for construction for four months for decommissioning.
It would provide enough clean electricity to power 10,500 homes, or 15,000 electric cars, annually, and would offset 570,000 carbon tonnes throughout its lifetime.
Leicestershire County Council recently refused to sign an agreement for it to receive £15 million to mitigate the impact of the Barwell SUE, as it said the amount is not enough.
An Earl Shilton SUE is also planned, which would include 1,600 properties on a 200 acre site, but this is yet to reach the outline planning application stage despite talks stretching back to 2009.