More than 100 objections lodged against controversial solar farm just 70 metres from closest homes in Northamptonshire village
A controversial bid to build a major solar farm just 70 metres away from the closest homes in a rural village just south of Northampton has received more than 100 objections.
Yardley Road Solar Farm Limited wants permission from West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to install photovoltaic panels on around 220 acres of Northamptonshire countryside.
The site, which branches off from either side of Yardley Road, is located to the north east of Potterspury and just 70 metres from the closest homes in Yardley Gobion.
If approved, developers said the 40 megawatt scheme would power approximately 18,492 homes per annum, for an expected lifespan of 40 years.
In total, more than 130 public comments have been made on the plans through the WNC website.
One objector wrote that the damage from the development “far outweighs the limited and temporary energy gains”, saying it would urbanise the green wedge between Potterspury and Yardley Gobion and set a precedent to make it harder to protect adjacent fields from further industrialisation.
Another said: “We have countless amounts of village residents and from surrounding areas enjoy the fields and the nature. When is enough enough? We just keep building and putting eye sores on beautiful parts of our countryside.”
Deanshanger and Paulerspury Councillor Ian McCord also shared an open letter written to the planning department, putting across his strong objections to the scheme. He explained that the loss of productive farmland, biodiversity, industrialisation of fields, and the increased flood risk all have a damaging environmental impact that is contrary to council policy.
Cllr McCord also said the traffic assessment shows “no knowledge of the A5 and complete indifference to the communities living nearby” and the “chaos” that would be caused for local residents during construction.
Potterspury Parish Council has also expressed concern over the size and scale of the proposal across 12 fields, which is almost twice the size of the village confines. The proposal will be discussed in detail by the Parish Council on September 10 in the Village Hall, at 7.30pm, before a formal response is submitted to WNC.
Yardley Road Solar Farm Limited says the diversification of farms into renewable energy will increase farm income security and “protect the farming tradition by removing the incentive to sell parcels of land to maintain income”. It has also cited social and economic benefits of the scheme, including work opportunities for local contractors and income for the authority as a result of the energy generation rates.
It concluded: “Careful site selection and design has produced a scheme that maximises the potential to capture solar energy whilst minimising impacts on the environment and local landscape.
“The Proposed Development is considered to provide substantial benefits to the area through the generation of clean renewable energy, biodiversity and landscape enhancement.”
According to the council website, comments from members of the public on the solar farm plans are due by Wednesday September 10. Planning members are expected to vote on the proposals in October this year.