Dave Harvey
Commercial and environment correspondent, BBC West
Kelly Morgan
Wiltshire Political Reporter
The solar park divides the villagers and increases emotion as the consultation continues
People living in some of the most picturesque villages in Great Britain were divided by plans for one of the largest solar parks in the country.
The developers want to build solar panels on 2,000 acres of agricultural land near Malmesbury in Cotswolds, producing enough energy for 115,000 houses.
Rosie Clark is one of the hundreds of local activists who believe that “will decimate the region”.
But supporters of the program, including the former mayor of Malmesbury Lesley Bennett, accused opponents of being “well -connected people” whose leaflets are “full of errors”.
The government wants to quadruple the amount of solar energy generated in the United Kingdom. But wherever developers offer new solar farms, the opposition is coming.
The former mayor of Malmesbury Lesley Bennett said that the region “needed clean energy”
Rosie Clark lives in a stone chalet surrounded by COTSWOLD fields and hedges in the Wiltshire.
She fears that there are more than a “million signs that will be as high as a two -story bus”.
The developers did not confirm the exact figures, but said that it would not be “more than 700,000 panels”.
“It will completely overcome nine local villages,” said Clark.
“We are in an area of exceptional national beauty. It will decimate the region, which rests a lot on tourism.”
The campaign to block the new solar farm has nearly 1,000 supporters
Meanwhile, Lesley Bennett is one of the few people who will speak for the solar program.
“It’s nimbyism, it’s perfect nimbyism,” she said.
“We need clean energy. We must be independent of energy.”
The campaign to stop Lime Down is well organized. Hundreds of people have been registered, printed leaflets, there are panels all over these villages in North Wiltshire.
But Ms. Bennett thinks there are many silent solar supporters, who do not dare to speak.
“These are a few rich well-connected that created a brilliant campaign,” she said.
“But it’s an illusion. This leaflet is full of mistakes.”
Activists are well aware that the chances are against them.
The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has already approved several major solar regimes, just as large as lime.
Mr. Miliband wants to quadruple the solar energy production capacity of the United Kingdom, which, according to him, “will make the United Kingdom its own energy superpower”.
Ms. Clark said she was “everything for wind and solar energy”, but not on agricultural land.
“We should not use agricultural land and destroy our future food security for solar panels,” she said.
The solar park will cover 2,000 acres of land, half of which will be used for environmental improvements
Ms. Bennett stressed that only half of the 2,000 acres (878 hectares) offered for development would have solar panels or related buildings.
The promoters, Island Green Power, allocated 47% of land for environmental purposes.
Bennett said the solar fields have always worked alongside nature.
She said, “You can have sheep there, you can have the fauna there, they have put hives and ponds and all kinds.”
The company’s first public consultation had a serious opposition. Their own report revealed that 88% of local populations were opposed to their plans.
Now the developers, Island Green Power, said they had listened and learned.
Will Threllfall, principal director of project development, said that he was “really grateful” to all those who responded.
A well -organized local campaign is trying to stop solar development
The new proposals on which they currently consult include changes, he said, which will make solar panels less visible and less intrusive.
But they remain attached to the basic plan, with 878 hectares (2170 acres) in the regime, 53% of which are solar panels or related infrastructure.
Mr. Threlfall said: “Projects like Lime Down Solar are essential to allow the transition of fossil fuels with low carbon energy, and we are committed to providing a program that makes a significant contribution to local energy needs and nationals. “
The official public consultation will take place until March 19, 2025. After that, the company will submit a planning request which will ultimately be decided by the Secretary of State. The regime is considered too important to be judged by a single local council.
