Plans for solar farm in Wiltshire to be heard at appeal
The solar park would be the size of 160 football pitches
Last updated 25th Sep 2025
Plans for a solar park the size of 160 football pitches near Chippenham will be heard by a planning inspector after Wiltshire Council refused consent.
In December 2023 Exagen Development Limited submitted an application for a 23MW renewable energy park on a 114 hectare site between Christian Malford and Dauntsey.
Swallett Energy Park would comprise “strings” of hundreds of solar panels, to a maximum height of 3.1m above ground level, spaced between 3m to 6m apart and mounted on metal frames, according to the application.
Associated infrastructure would include a new 33kV substation, which would be connected via an underground cable.
The solar park would produce enough electricity to power 9,400 homes, the applicants said.
More than 50 letters of objection were received to the development, including objections from Christian Malford Parish Council.
A meeting of Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee in March this year voted down the plans after concerns were raised that the proposed date for the project’s connection to the grid was not before 2036.
Cllr Ernie Clark said: “If the applicant wants to apply for something that they know they can’t actually build for probably another seven or eight years, why the hell are we considering it now?”
Committee chairman Cllr Howard Greenman, agreed that he could see “no tangible public benefit” to approving something that “may or may not happen” in ten years.
They refused the application citing landscape concerns and the impact on designated heritage assets.
Exagen has now appealed against the council’s reasons for refusal.
The application will be determined by Ben Plenty of the Planning Inspectorate during a one-day hearing on Tuesday, December 16 at a location to be confirmed.