The developer of planned solar farms covering 2,000 acres in Wiltshire has defended the scheme after almost 8,000 people signed a petition against it.
Lime Down Solar Park is designed to create 500 megawatts of clean energy 鈥 said to be enough to power around 115,000 homes 鈥 from six sites around the county including agricultural land in the villages of Sherston, Hullavington and Stanton St Quintin, near Malmesbury.
The sites would feature ground-mounted solar photovoltaic panels, a battery energy storage system, and security fencing with CCTV, and would be connected into the National Grid鈥檚 substation at Melksham.
Campaigners say the plans would cover productive farmland in a 鈥渂eautiful and biodiverse countryside鈥, including more than 300 acres on the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort鈥檚 Badminton Estate.
Campaign group Stop Lime Down Solar Park has been set up to challenge the plans which are being put forward by international developer Island Green Power and cover 2,118 acres.
It calls Lime Down Solar Park a proposal to cover nearly three square miles of 鈥渧aluable and productive farmland of our beautiful and biodiverse countryside鈥 in north Wiltshire with 2.75 metre high panels, surrounded by a three-metre high security fence.
Stop Lime Down Solar Park says on its website: 鈥淭his is not an anti-solar campaign, we believe that large industrial solar farms should be located on former industrial sites or next to motorways, not on productive farmland.鈥
More than 7,700 people have signed a petition shared by the campaign group, calling for a prohibition on 鈥渕ega solar facilities鈥 over 50 megawatts on 海角视频 farmland. The government will respond to the petition if it reaches 10,000 signatures.
James Gray, MP for North Wiltshire, said eight of the 10 largest solar parks in the 海角视频 were already in Wiltshire 鈥 with 42 solar farms currently operational in the county. In a blog post written last month, Mr Gray said the application for Lime Down Solar Park was 鈥渟candalous and must be stopped鈥.
He added: 鈥淲hat is proposed is an absolutely monstrous destruction of some of the most lovely landscapes in North Wiltshire; it will wholly destroy the area鈥檚 natural beauty, it will require industrial scale development, and it will make poor little Wiltshire by far the biggest contributor to solar energy in the 海角视频.
鈥淣ot only all of that, but especially at a time like this I am firmly of the view that our highly productive farms should be producing food not sacrificed on the altar of climate change.鈥
Lime Down Solar Park is classified as a 鈥渘ationally significant infrastructure project鈥, as its generation capacity exceeds 50 megawatts.
An initial six-week consultation began on March 14 and will run until April 26. Island Green Power expects to carry out a second consultation stage in the winter of this year.
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Natasha Worrall, project development manager at Island Green Power said Lime Down Solar Park would provide 鈥渁 significant amount of clean electricity for businesses and homes in the region鈥.
鈥淎s well as providing clean electricity which helps us move away from polluting fossil fuels, it is our ambition to design the project in a way that also boosts and enhances local wildlife by delivering a net gain in biodiversity,鈥 she said.
鈥淲e are dedicated to responsible land use and believe that the development and delivery of utility-scale farms can co-exist harmoniously with their environment.鈥
She added that feedback received during the consultation would help develop the proposals, adding that the company was keen to hear from as many members of the community as possible.
