Controversial plans for new solar farm near Bramford approved
It would cover a 35-hectare site near Burstall
Controversial plans to cover three agricultural fields with solar panels have been approved in a close vote by Babergh councillors.
Six councillors voted for and five against proposals for the 35-hectare site next to the Flowton Brook watercourse and to the north of Hill Farm in Burstall.
Simon Chamberlayne, head of planning at Enso Energy – the agent for applicant Bramford Green Limited – said: “We are in the middle of an energy crisis.
“No land will be lost to the development because it is temporary and after delivering benefits it can be entirely reversed.
“We have significantly reduced the size of this proposal in response to feedback from consultees.
“Your officers recommend approval and no statutory consultees object to the proposal.”
The application was for permission for 40 years, after which the applicant states they plan to restore the site to agricultural land.
The landowner also expressed his commitment to returning the land to agricultural use and his view that the time spent not planting will improve the soil for future harvests.
Initial plans were for a 102-hectare site. The majority of the area now proposed is in Babergh but approximately one quarter is in Mid Suffolk.
Burstall Parish Council Cllr Stephen Fordham from said: “The main argument for allowing this is addressing climate change.
“But this is forgetting the importance of food. We need to keep good land to feed ourselves.
“This is inconsistent with the rural character of the area and damages wildlife.”
Approximately 75 per cent of the site is designated as ‘best and most versatile’ (BMV) type land, which means it is most capable of delivering crops.
Every parish and town council representing nearby areas has objected to the proposals and the vast majority mention the loss of agricultural land as a reason.
Out of the 189 letters, emails and online comments on the application, 186 are objections.
Cllr David Busby said in opposition to the proposals: “When we get down to it, the question is food versus agriculture.
“The need is for both, but the want is different when you look at the opposition of local people.
“Land for food production is finite but we are finding we can generate energy almost everywhere.
“I think we will be setting a precedent for later applications and the precedent in this case should be support for food over energy.”
The energy generated will go to the national grid. According to officers, it will cover the usage of approximately 7,450 homes and save 6,250 tonnes of CO2 each year.
The solar panels would be arranged in rows and angled so they measure less than one metre from the ground at their lowest point and three metres from the ground at their highest point.
Cllr Leigh Jamieson, who proposed approval of the plans, said: “If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that we can’t keep relying on fossil fuels.
“I would much prefer to see all the warehouses in Babergh being covered in solar panels.
“If we insisted that all developers put solar panels on roofs then perhaps we wouldn’t need solar farms.
“But until we get the government to insist on this, we are restricted in what we can do.”
The plans include solar panels fixed to mounting structures with electrical output capacity of 30 megawatts; a battery storage facility; a substation; six inverter, transformer and switchgear stations; a control room building and underground cables.
The plans include two-metre steel mesh fencing with timber posts around the site.