Cawston solar farm plans scrapped

Plans to build a solar farm in the Norfolk countryside have been rejected, as it would have left “prime” farmland covered in panels.

Broadland District Council blocked proposals for the 230-acre installation on land off Aylsham Road in Cawston, between Reepham and Aylsham.

Its planning committee voted not to approve the scheme after a split vote.

Jo Coppleston, a Conservative councillor, said she had “grave concerns” about the scheme, particularly over the loss of high-quality farmland she described as “prime”.

More than 95pc of the 93-hectare site is classified as prime agricultural land, which she described as Broadland’s “best and most versatile”.

She said: “I am worried about solar and protecting our food security. This is definitely our best and most versatile land.”

The council’s decision to block the project comes at a time of growing debate about the spread of solar farms across the county.

Supporters say they are vital to help the UK meet net-zero targets but opponents have raised concerns about the impact on agricultural land, food security and the cost and efficiency of the installations.

While Broadland Council is able to block this project, decisions over the fate of larger solar farms has been taken out of the hands of local councils and will be made by Ed Miliband, secretary for energy and climate change.

The Cawston scheme was put forward by renewable energy company Exagen Development Ltd.

It claimed the array would have been able to supply energy to 13,900 homes.

Prior to the vote, Eleanor Laming, Green party councillor and vice chairman of the committee, spoke in support of the scheme.

“We need to decarbonise the country, and we are well behind government targets at the moment,” she said.

“We’re already starting to see the impact of climate change in this county and across the whole world.”

While she acknowledged there would be “temporary disruption to residents” she said she would be “very happy” to approve the scheme.

Stuart Richardson, a Cawston local who has lived opposite the proposed site for 26 years, said the village had endured “significant” increases in traffic and vibrations as energy projects were rolled out across the area.

He warned that the estimated 104 daily vehicle movements involved in the construction process represents an “incredible amount” of traffic, and that the “background hum” from the battery energy storage system (BESS) also posed a risk.

Questions were also raised about how the farm would connect to the Salle Electricity Substation, which is located around two miles away.

Plans initially put forward during the consultation period had suggested digging up the village’s High Street to install a connecting power cable, although this element was later withdrawn.

Becca Leake, the agent speaking on behalf of Exagen, said that the cable route was yet to be confirmed.

David Thomas, who covered the ward, said that without an agreed route the “scheme could not be considered deliverable” and that it was “highly unlikely they will choose anything but the cheapest and most direct route”.

“It’s in the wrong place, close to too many properties and it hasn’t got a plug,” he said.

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