Massive solar farm granted planning permission by councillors

Lightrock Power can move forward with its plans to construct a solar farm that will generate up to 50 megawatts of energy on land just off of Crick Road in Yelvertoft. Solar farms of similar size generally have hundreds of thousands of panels installed that can generate enough renewable energy to power 15,000 homes.

The site, which is across 11 fields between Crick and Yelvertoft, will see a new vehicle entrance as well as a 23 metre high substation tower, control room, security fencing and CCTV built on the 80-hectare site.

Daventry District Council had received 74 comments in support and 44 objections to the application from residents, but both the local parish councils had strongly objected.

Speaking at the planning meeting on Wednesday evening (November 18), the chairman of Crick Parish Council, Councillor Jill Jamieson, told the committee they were ‘firm supporters’ of green initiatives but that the harm on the landscape outweighed the benefits.

And Lisa Parker, a councillor on Yelvertoft Parish Council, added: “We’re no strangers to defending our countryside from being destroyed by subsidy hungry developers. The green corridors that separate our villages from huge industry are so precious. We care about the environment but our villages have already done their bit to address climate change. We are the onshore wind capital of the UK.”

Ward councillor Alan Chantler, a member of the planning committee as well as the parish council in Yelvertoft, had concerns over the fact that the site was largely used as drainage for heavy rainfall. He said: “My biggest worry is the flood risk. We have had flooding twice in the last ten years with 20 properties having water halfway up their walls.”

But the proposals had not been objected to by the county council’s floods team and Christopher Sowerbutts, a director for the applicant, told councillors that they had worked hard to design a scheme that would combat any flood risks. He added that they were ‘encouraged’ that more people had supported the scheme than were against it.

Most councillors on the committee admitted they had conflicting thoughts between the need to address the climate emergency that the council has declared, and the impact the solar farm could have on residents.

An original proposal to refuse the scheme, based on it breaching planning policy as it negatively impacted on the landscape and open countryside, was narrowly lost before the scheme was eventually approved – though councillors wanted to see more trees planted to help mitigate any flood and visual impacts.

Six councillors voted against granting permission. Councillor Ian Robertson said the farm was ‘abhorrent’ and would be a ‘blot on the landscape’, while Catherine Lomax was more reserved, stating that it was the ‘right thing but in the wrong place’.

Of the eight who voted in favour of the proposals, Councillor Ken Ritchie said: “I know that if I lived in Yelvertoft or Crick that I would wish this project was being planned somewhere else. But I hope I would also recognise that we are facing a climate emergency. If we were to turn down this project it would be exceptionally bad.”

The decision to approve the farm did not go down well with the Yelvertoft Parish Council representative, Mrs Parker, who told councillors that approved the scheme: “May God have mercy on your soul.”