Former Lincolnshire RAF airfield is to be turned into a solar farm after councillors approved the plans
The site at Fiskerton near Lincoln was given the go ahead despite strong local opposition
A former RAF airfield utilised during the Second World War will now be used as a large scale solar farm, following planning approval by district councillors.
The site of the ex-RAF Fiskerton was first given approval for use as a solar farm in 2021, with two conditions relating to time frames and the size of masts on the site attached to approval.
Fresh approval has now been granted to the application by West Lindsey District Council, with the masts now set to be 25m high rather than 15m, and agreed timescales for the solar farm project.
The site must shut down and return to previous use either within 40 years from the date electricity is first exported, or within one year of the ceasing of electricity being generated — whichever comes first.
Solar farm proposals have often been met with opposition in Lincolnshire, with fears the county’s famous sweeping farmland is becoming a “dumping ground” for Net Zero target ambitions.
This RAF Fiskerton plan has been no different, with local residents objecting to the plans by saying it will not benefit the community, and would blight the countryside.
Despite this, councillors granted approval for the updated proposal, meaning its full steam ahead for the latest Lincolnshire solar farm.
It also isn’t the first change of use for a former WW2 RAF site in West Lindsey in recent times, with the authority also preparing for the arrival of up to 800 asylum seekers at the ex-RAF Scampton site.