'Bitterly disappointed' - Energy firm to appeal decision to reject solar farm

An energy company say they are 'bitterly disappointment' by Dorsey Council's decision to reject plans for a major solar farm near Maiden Newton.

Environmena say they will now appeal.

Planning permission for the 40 acre site was turned down due to the visual impact on an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Mark Harding is the European Development Director of Enviromena, which is delivering transformative clean energy solutions across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

He attended the planning meeting and said afterwards: “We are bitterly disappointed with the decision. We’ve worked very hard over the past 17 months while the project has been in the planning process to address all concerns raised by consultees and interested parties.

“As a result, we shaped a scheme that has the full backing of the local parish council and kept visual impact to a minimum. At the meeting we sided with members of the committee who supported the scheme and highlighted the fact that the significant benefits of the project outweighed any perceived harmful visual impact from selected viewpoints.

Mark Harding is the European Development Director of Enviromena, which is delivering transformative clean energy solutions across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

He attended the planning meeting and said afterwards: “We are bitterly disappointed with the decision. We’ve worked very hard over the past 17 months while the project has been in the planning process to address all concerns raised by consultees and interested parties.

“As a result, we shaped a scheme that has the full backing of the local parish council and kept visual impact to a minimum. At the meeting we sided with members of the committee who supported the scheme and highlighted the fact that the significant benefits of the project outweighed any perceived harmful visual impact from selected viewpoints.

“We fully believe that our submission met all of the criteria for development in the AONB. We will now proceed with an appeal to ensure an outcome which not only recognises the need to satisfy local conditions but supports the urgent national agenda of delivering sustainable, renewable energy.”

Enviromena’s CEO Cabell Fisher commented: “We understand that there might be concerns with build projects as they can be disruptive to an area for a short period. So with that in mind, Enviromena proposed extensive measures to ensure the site would be acceptable to all stakeholders even down to the very people who might walk the trail next to the project site. In fact, the local community recognised that projects like Enviromena’s can be connected quickly with minimal disruption and that they play a crucial role in providing much-needed clean energy alternatives to the grid. This is exactly why the project had the full backing of the Parish Council.

“Despite being presented with the facts that the site would provide significant progress towards supporting UK energy independence, would help to reduce the cost of energy for UK residents over the long term, and help to offset substantial amounts of carbon in the atmosphere at a time when fuel prices are pushing more people into poverty and temperatures appear to be rising globally, the view was taken that the site’s visual impact would prove detrimental to the landscape.”

He added: “We also feel strongly that the site would support the local economy and provide jobs during the construction phase. But, despite putting all of this to the planning officer, the Cruxton Farm site has still been refused planning leaving us with no option but to appeal the decision.”

Planning officers, the Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team and Natural England all argued that the scheme would cause harm to the AoNB and that the developers had failed to make a case for why they could not build somewhere else.

Opposition

Planning officers, the Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team and Natural England all argued that the scheme would cause harm to the AoNB and that the developers had failed to make a case for why they could not build somewhere else.

AoNB officer Richard Brown said the elevated position in open land meant the panels would be seen as “an isolated and discordant man-made element in the attractive upland landscape,” adding it would have a “significant impact” on the un-interrupted panoramic views, tranquillity and undeveloped rural character.

He said there was no compelling reason why the solar development had to be where the company wanted.