Suffolk County Council calls proposal for massive solar farm on Cambridgeshire border "unacceptable"
The Sunnica solar farm is planned to cover over 1,100 hectares of land across several sites on the Suffolk border
Last updated 22nd Mar 2023
Suffolk County Council says plans for a massive new solar farm on the Suffolk border with Cambridgeshire have "serious deficiencies" as they call on the government to block the proposals.
The local authority is submitting evidence to the planning inspectorate about the Sunnica proposal, which will cover over 1,100 hectares of land across several sites near Mildenhall.
A government minister is expected to make a final decision as to whther the plan can go ahead later this year.
Suffolk County Council says it has concerns about the scale of the proposal, as well as the impact on local communities.
Sunnica claims the site, when constructed, will be able to power thousands of homes and help the UK get to net-zero.
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Leader, said:
“I previously stated that this was the poorest application I have dealt with to date. There has been some positive progress with the applicant, but unfortunately the proposals still do not meet the standards we, and local communities, would expect from a project on this scale.
“From monitoring ecology, to HGV access, we have submitted over 60 pages of comments on the proposal, the majority of which details how it falls short of acceptable levels.
“Suffolk County Council is fully behind the Government’s ambitions for a low carbon future, and we have our own net zero by 2030 target. But as it stands, this application is not the answer, which would permanently change a unique landscape shaped by agriculture and horse racing.”
We've approached Sunnica for comment on this story.