First meeting today of new group formed to fight Devon's biggest solar farm and battery facility
Residents in North Devon have already attended a public meeting and agreed to form an action group
An action group has been formed to fight a controversial 279 acre solar farm and battery energy storage system - the biggest project of its kind in Devon.
The first Bulworthy Solar Action Group meeting - which includes those living near Alverdiscott in north Devon, will take place today to decide the next steps.
Supporters say they back the application on climate change grounds, but opponents are questionning the 'real world' impact of the development.
Devon CPRE Chair Steve Crowther and Director Penny Mills recently held a meeting about the plans as they 'outlined the charity’s concerns about the scale and impact on the local area of yet another large solar farm'.
Mr Crowther said: “Because of its strong grid connection, Alverdiscott is a honeypot for investors wanting to cash in on the ‘solar and battery gold rush’.
"There’s a growing cluster of solar farms and battery schemes around Alverdiscott and Stony Cross, and this latest proposal, Bulworthy solar farm and BESS, would bring the cumulative total of farmland lost to solar up to nearly 700 acres. It’s starting to look like a mega site here.
“CPRE is the oldest environmental charity, founded 99 years ago specifically to fight threats to the countryside like the ones we’re currently facing. And we’ve had some success; by joining forces with partner organisations, we’ve successfully campaigned to shift the focus of solar from farmland to rooftops.
"Later this year, the new building standards will mandate that solar panels should be put on new-build roofs wherever possible. However, we still have a massive fight on our hands to stop good Devon farmland from being taken for solar sites. So far, we’ve lost about 4,500 acres.”
Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills told the community meeting that she had personal reasons to feel sad about the prospect of Bulworthy Farm disappearing under glass.
She said, “I used to spend my childhood holidays visiting my great aunt, who used to live on a little part of Bulworthy Farm, so coming here has brought it all back to me. I remember the farm very well, and when I first heard about this proposal, it made me very sad.”
Devon CPRE has already submitted its objection to the Bulworthy solar farm and says it 'will continue to support members in their efforts to stop this inappropriate large-scale development', adding: "Both Natural England and the Historic Environment Team have objected to the application, highlighting inadequacies in the assessments provided by the developer."
A timeline for the application can be found here
So far there's been two letters of support and 34 formal objections listed from non-statutory consultees.
One supporter, who lives nearby, wrote: This new solar development may not be ideal but having left it so long that we have surpassed the all-important 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial CO2 levels, we have no choice but to act now.
The UK needs to maximise green energy, with no further delays, to stop climate change from hitting a tipping point we can no longer reverse - something we're already approaching fast."
CPRE member Andy Woo said, “The worry is that we’ve got an Emperor’s New Clothes situation. We have people who are concerned quite rightly about climate change and the environment, but they’re not really aware that these projects are not going to make the change they think. We’ve heard statements read out tonight where they clearly equate these projects with saving the environment. They don’t necessarily know that the projects already in the pipeline and granted will already exceed the targets set for Net Zero. They, almost in a one-dimensional way, are thinking ‘renewable energy projects equal free electricity, which it doesn’t. It costs a lot of money to produce that, and then you’ve got to think at the other end about decommissioning.”
A decision is expected next month.