PLANS for a huge solar farm, the size of 80 football pitches, has been refused by planners from West Devon Borough Council.

Kinetica Solar Ltd, of Manchester, applied for 30 year permission for the development of a 58-hectare Eco Park comprising ground mounted solar photovolatic system (22MW) and associated infrastructure incorporating access trail and an ecologically enhanced landscape on land to the rear of Taw Valley Creamery at North Tawton.

Planners refused the application, stating that:

1. development would involve the temporary loss of Grade 2 farmland, which is a rare resource in West Devon, contrary to the provisions of Policy SP3 of the Core Strategy; and paragraph 112 of the National Planning Policy Framework and the subsequent Ministerial Statement of March 25, 2015 that clarifies the interpretation of paragraph 112; and

2. the scale, visibility and dominance of development would result in an unacceptably adverse impact on neighbour / residential amenity, which is a material consideration in the context of footnote 18 of paragraph 98 of the National Planning Policy Framework; and contrary to the provisions of SP3 of the Core Strategy and ED17 and ED21 of the West Devon Borough Council Local Plan Review 2005 (as amended 2011).

WDBC said the plan was for a large scale solar farm that has been deemed to be EIA development by virtue of the potential impact on best and most versatile agricultural land, landscape, visual receptors, heritage assets and surface water / flood risk.

“It is these issues together with the impact on residential amenity that are key to the consideration of the planning application,” said the WDBC report announcing the refusal issued on Friday, January 8.

The plan would have involved the installation of 19,320 solar photovoltaic (pv) panels.

Penny Mills, from CPRE Devon, who have been campaigning against the solar farm said that it was fantastic news.

“This proposal has been in the pipeline for such a long time - so I know that local people are extremely relieved to hear that the application has been refused.

“There has been overwhelming opposition to it from the local community including the town council, so it is good to know that their opinions really have been taken into account on this occasion.

“If this had been permitted it would have resulted in massive industrialisation of such a large area of the countryside and a loss of valuable farmland.

“We don’t want or need these solar farms on our green fields - we need farmland for food production.”

If approved, it would have been one of the largest solar farms in the country, covering four large fields of agricultural land, covering about 140-acres.

Kinetica Solar said the plan would have provided electricity for up to 6,000 homes.

Alan Quick