Plans for solar farm with 31,000 panels rejected

Plans to cover an area of countryside the size of 24 football pitches with 31,000 solar panels have been turned down.

Wiltshire Council's strategic planning committee rejected a proposal for a solar farm and battery storage facility at Whistle Mead in Little Chalfield, near Melksham, on Tuesday.

Local residents previously claimed the proposals would have left them "surrounded" by solar farms.

But ABEI Energy, the company behind the plans, said the proposed site was "essential" to meet the council's 2030 target for renewable energy generation.

The site is located about 180m (591ft) from the nearest house and under a mile from the Grade I-listed Great Chalfield Manor.

During a three hour debate, the committee discussed the proposal's impact on the surrounding landscape and potential fire risks.

ABEI Energy's Stewart Lovesey told councillors: "As recent developments in Iran show, the need for domestic energy and fuel resilience is high.

"Our plans would provide 14 megawatts of clean, renewable energy to the local grid. This is enough to power approximately 5,000 homes."

A motion to refuse planning permission on the grounds of the size and scale of the scheme and the cumulative impact of multiple solar farms was proposed by Wylye Valley councillor Christopher Newbury.

It passed by six votes to two, with one abstention.

Councillors are expecting an appeal from the solar farm applicant to the Planning Inspectorate.

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