Entertainment Swindon

Next month, it will be decided by a planning inspector sitting in Trowbridge if a controversial solar panel project the size of 24 football pitches covering the Wiltshire countryside near Melksham.

The proposal, put forward by Blue Stone Renewables I Ltd, will involve the installation of more than 31,000 solar panels, each standing at 2.7metres tall. As well as this, the solar and battery storage facility will cover 17hectares on a site totalling 26hectares at Whistle Mead in Chalfield, near Melksham.

The site is located about 180metres from the nearest house and under a mile from the National Trust’s Grade I listed Great Chalfield Manor.

Back in April, the Wiltshire Council stratigic planning committee debated the proposal, with the councils planning department recomending the councillors grant permission,

The committee decided to vote against the application based on the size of the proposed scheme and the cumulative impact of multiple solar farms.

During a 3hr debate, councillors heard and raised arguments against the proposal on grounds as varied as the impact on the landscape, the fire risk posed by 20 battery storage facilities (BESS), how fire engines would get to the site on lanes not wide enough for two cars to pass, and the risk of contaminated water from any potential fire-fighting effort getting into the aquifer below the site.

Wiltshire Council ward member Andrew Griffin (Melksham Without West & Rural, Liberal Democrat) expressed concerns about the cumulative effect of solar farms in the area which, he said, “equate to about three times the total residential area.”

And Cllr Nick Holder (Bowerhill, Conservative) added: “Were this application to be approved, we would have over 600 acres of solar within five kilometres of this site.

“Forty per cent of Wiltshire’s solar capacity is on just two per cent of its land area. I just don’t think (the planning officers have) addressed the cumulative impact.”

Applicant ABEI Energy said the scheme would provide 24 megawatts of clean, renewable energy to the local grid – enough to power approximately 5,000 homes.

The company told the planning inspector that it had liaised with the council prior to the planning application being submitted.

It said there were no good reasons for refusal, and that solar schemes were vital in helping the UK achieve its Net Zero goals.

A planning hearing will open on September 22 at County Hall, Trowbridge and is expected to last for two days.

Members of the public may attend the hearing and, at the inspector’s discretion, share their views.

Those wishing to observe or speak at the hearing are encouraged to contact the council beforehand by emailing: planningappeals@wiltshire.gov.uk