Councillors stand by ruling on Shropshire solar farm refusals

Ground-mounted panels on farmland at Acton Scott, near Church Stretton, and Neen Sollars, near Cleobury Mortimer, have now been given the go-ahead by government planning inspectors, despite both being refused by Shropshire Council's south planning committee previously.

But members of the committee said they had been fair in refusing the applications the first time around, and there was anger among members that their carefully considered decisions had been overturned.

Councillor David Evans, chairman of the south planning committee, said: "I think the developers had a fair airing at committee.

"The committee made the decision it did after members of the public had their say as well as town and parish councils.

"But we are where we are, the planning inspector has taken a different view and we have to go with that decision unfortunately."

He said the committee emphasised that the south of the county relies heavily on tourism and hence took such things as the views from popular walking routes into consideration.

However, member of the committee did not give their own evidence at either appeal hearing. Instead their case to refuse the solar farms was put by Shropshire Council officers who originally recommended that the developments go ahead.

Councillor Evans said it was a "difficult" situation as, no matter how impartial, officers may not put the case quite the same way as the councillors who decided to refuse the solar farms.

South planning committee member Andy Boddington, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow North, said he now feared for the outcome of another appeal over a refused solar farm at Whitton.

He said: "I think if councillors had been allowed to take part in these appeals, we would have put forward a stronger case. I believe we could have won the Acton Scott and Neen Sollars appeals."