300-acre solar farm on Shropshire farmland approved by councillors

JBM Solar Projects Ltd applied to build the solar farm on fields at Roden, north of the B5062, south east of Mytton’s Coppice.

Parish and borough councillors for the area argued that the 50-megawatt array of panels would bring no benefits to Roden, and said they suspected the site would be sold during its working life so “accountability will be lost”.

But a report for the Telford & Wrekin Council's planning committee recommended approving the proposal, and JBM planning agent Chris Cox said the site would “play an important role in helping reach the council’s aspiration for the entire borough to be carbon-neutral by 2030”.

Both Ercall Magna Parish Council chairman Ray Wickson and borough councillor Stephen Bentley told the committee they supported green energy, but had concerns about JBM’s proposal.

Councillor Wickson said it was the “largest proposed site in the region” and would occupy “arable land that could be used for food production, post-Brexit”.

Pesticides were likely to be used to manage the site while the generators were in place, which risked contaminating the land, he added.

“Over the past several years, Ercall Magna parish has had a series of large industrial agricultural developments which have impacted on the community,” he said.

Consortium

“The applicant is not a recognised power company but is representing a consortium which operates purely for profit.

“We are concerned that, during its lifetime, ownership will change and accountability will be lost.”

He acknowledged that JBM and Pegasus Group, its planning agent, had supplied details about how the site would be decommissioned in the 2060s, but added: “There is no sound financial package to implement it, which we believe will leave the council and landowner with a problem clearing the site at the end of its life.”

Councillor Bentley, who represents Edgmond and Ercall Magna, disagreed with the planning report’s conclusion that “the limited harm arising from the proposals would be significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the benefits”.

He said: “There are no benefits to Roden, Ercall Magna or Telford & Wrekin, as it will not contribute towards the borough’s climate change target. The only benefits are to the owners of the plant.”

Planning agent Chris Cox, of Pegasus, said the solar farm “will play an important role in helping reach the council’s aspiration for the entire borough to be carbon-neutral by 2030”.

He added it would meet the equivalent energy needs of 15,000 homes annually and consist of at least 80 per cent recyclable materials such as glass and metal.

“JBM fully supports the proposed planning condition that requires the solar farm to be decommissioned and the land returned to its original agricultural state after its lifetime,” he said.

“This is industry standard and similar conditions typically apply to all solar farm permissions, and I can confirm there is a legal obligation on JBM to ensure it is decommissioned and funds independently verified and set aside.”

He said the company had consulted with the community and was “very aware” of the need to mitigate negative local impacts.