Consultation opens on updated Buckinghamshire solar farm proposals
Rosefield Solar Farm could power 57,000 homes, according to the company behind the plans
A public consultation has opened today (18th September) on updated proposals for a solar farm in Buckinghamshire.
It's the second time the company behind Rosefield Solar Farm has asked for feedback about the site, located between Buckingham and Aylesbury.
The plans were updated following community feedback during the first stage of consultation.
EDF Renewables, behind it, says changes include proposals for new planting, and an overall reduction in the size of the area proposed for solar panels.
Areas not being developed would be managed for mitigation, ecological enhancement or agricultural use.
EDF Renewables UK’s Director of Storage, Solar and Private Wire Matthew Boulton said: "Community input has already helped to inform our plans for Rosefield and will continue to play a very important part in helping us refine our proposals before we submit our DCO application.
"I encourage everyone to get in touch, meet with us and share their views during the consultation."
Consultation
The consultation will run for eight weeks, until 11.59pm on Thursday 14th November.
Feedback can be submitted online, or at in-person exhibitions.
It will be used to refine proposals, before a Development Consent Order application is submitted.
Concerns
Campaigners have expressed concerns about the plans, and their impact on food-producing land, and the tenant farmers who work it.
The 'Claydon Solar Action Group' also says the farm would have an "unsightly" visual impact and cause habitats to be lost.
On the group's website, it says: "We are all in favour of green energy.
"However, what is being proposed at Rosefield is the mass destruction of farmland for minor, inefficient, energy gains motivated by quick profits for multinationals and wealthy individuals.
"It is opportunism, not sustainability."