Devon CPRE has formally objected to a planning application for a solar farm on 30 acres of good agricultural land south of Arla Foods’ Taw Valley Creamery in North Tawton. The move adds to opposition already lodged by local residents and the town council.
The proposal covers a 5-megawatt solar farm with inverters, transformers, cables, CCTV, access tracks, perimeter fencing and landscape works. It is the third attempt to build a solar farm on this arable land, more than 90% of which is classified as Best and Most Versatile (BMV) land. That includes 79.2% Grade 2 and 11.4% Grade 3a agricultural land.
In the land, soil and management plans submitted with the application, the applicant admits the proposal is “not in full compliance with local and national planning policy and guidance with regard to the use of BMV land.”
SSE Energy has submitted the application in partnership with the Arla factory, which sits next to the site. The project would involve installing 9,464 photovoltaic panels and associated equipment to supply power to the plant.
The applicant’s Alternative Site Assessment (ASA) looks at a search area of roughly 3km around the creamery. The preferred location is mainly driven by the availability and efficiency of the proposed grid connection. Several alternative sites identified in the assessment are of lower agricultural quality, including Grade 4 land, while another mixes Grade 2 and Grade 4 land.
Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills said: “Food security is becoming a major issue and good farmland should not be used to produce a negligible amount of electricity and then mostly only when the sun shines in summer during the daytime.
“The applicant has acknowledged that their proposal does not comply with local and national planning guidance. Ease of access to a grid connection should not determine this application; the use of BMV land is avoidable. Other sites with lower-quality farmland could reasonably accommodate the development through appropriate design, mitigation or alternative connection arrangements.
“We stand alongside residents and North Tawton Town Council in opposing this application on land where two previous applications have been refused. No should mean no!”
A decision on the application is pending. The public consultation runs until September 17. To view or comment on the application, visit the West Devon Planning Portal at westdevon.planning-register.co.uk.
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To see more public notices and planning applications, visit: https://publicnoticeportal.uk/.
Devon CPRE Adds Voice to Solar Farm Objections