Solar farm bid near Ludlow is thrown out

Government planning inspector Rosalyn Kirby ruled that the proposed 43-acre solar farm at Whitton, near Ludlow, would have too much of an impact on the surrounding landscape.

It is the first time a planning inspector has upheld a decision to refuse planning permission for one of five major solar farm projects put forward in the south of the county over the past 18 months.

But a ruling is yet to be made on a bid for a smaller 14-acre solar farm on the same site. Developers EBS Energy had appealed against a decision made by Shropshire Council's south planning committee in October 2014 to refuse consent for the larger 8.6MW solar farm.

The news has come as a boost to campaigners against large-scale solar farms on farmland in the south Shropshire countryside.

Shropshire Council has thrown out five large scale solar farms in south Shropshire in the past 18 months, but since January two have been given permission by national planning inspectors, leading to fears others on appeal may be given the go-ahead.

It comes days after a decision to refuse plans for a 4.53MW solar farm in Neen Sollars, near Cleobury Mortimer, was overturned on appeal.

Ms Kirby, ruling on the larger Whitton project, said panels would be a "highly intrusive presence" in the landscape.

"The introduction of solar arrays, along with ancillary structures and high fencing would be incongruous in this otherwise pastoral landscape. This would be particularly apparent from the network of public rights of way in the area," she said.

"I find that a landscaping condition requiring further planting along the southern boundary of the site would not mitigate my concerns."

The site was also on the edge of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, she said.

In conclusion, she said: "The proposal would bring considerable benefits in terms of the generation of renewable energy and it would assist in agricultural diversification.

"However, even though the proposal is expected to have a life span of 25 years, and is largely reversible, in my judgement, those benefits would be outweighed by the significant adverse impact that would result in landscape terms.

"These impacts are not acceptable and, on the basis of the evidence before me, cannot be made acceptable."

Her comments come in contrast to those by Brian Cook over the Neen Sollars development, who concluded the solar farm would have only a "limited" impact on views of the countryside.

Peter van Duijvenvoorde, chairman of campaign group Save South Shropshire Countryside (SSSC), said the Whitton decision had given members hope after other applications they thought they had fought off had subsequently been approved by Government planning inspectors.

"Needless to say, the members of SSSC are absolutely over the moon about this decision particularly after the disappointing outcomes at Neen Sollars and Acton Scott," he said.

But he said members still had a fight on their hands as a second Whitton appeal, this time over 4.3MW of panels on 14 acres of the same site, had yet to be decided. A different planning inspector will make a decision and a site visit is scheduled for April 4.