Campaigners continue fight against planned solar park with live music event
Stop Lime Down says it will help fund critical expertise to their opposition to the Lime Down Solar project
Campaigners against a proposed 2,000 acre solar park in Wiltshire are continuing their fundraising efforts with a live music event at a pub that says it faces a significant challenges if the plans are approved.
The Vine Tree pub is hosting the event, which will help generate funding for Stop Lime Down Solar to have legal expertise in its fight against the Lime Down Solar project.
Developers Island Green Power say the scheme could provide energy to more than 100,000 homes whilst easing reliance on imported fuels, which can be vulnerable to cost spikes, as seen during the early weeks of the Middle East conflict this year.
Due to its scale, the project has been given Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status, meaning the final decision on whether or not it can go ahead will be made by the Secretary of State, which is due in 2027.
Gamekeeper fears impact of solar project
Almost 5,000 people registered to have their say on the project, with an overwhelming majority objecting to the scheme.
Among those is Jodie Collier, a Gamekeeper from Hullavington.
She insists the opposition isn't to solar power, but rather the scale and location of the project.
"It affects me personally," she said. "I walk along the countryside, I work in the countryside daily. My son is brought up in the countryside. He has never known anything different other than the open spaces.
"Farming is really hit upon and for us farmers and gamekeepers and people that work in the countryside, it's a way of life. It is our way of living."
Jodie added that the scheme is in an area where many houses are not allowed to put solar panels on their roofs, something she says needs to change.
"Why are we not being allowed to put it on our houses when we can cover working farmland that's going to destroy the wildlife?" she said. "It's going to decrease tourism, children's well-being. children are stuck on screens enough and we're going to take away half of the land that they can run and play on and live a free life."
She stressed that there are other alternatives to generate energy from solar power, by using housetops, car parks and brownfield sites.
"We are building new houses to accommodate people within this country and none of it's having solar on it," Jodie said.