To gauge the views of local politicians to the proposals for the solar development at Acton Beauchamp and Sintons End, we asked the various candidates:
- Mark Franklin (Local Conservative)
- Rebecca Tully (Green),
- Sandy Grenar (Labour),
- Dave James (Reform UK), and
- Nicki West (Liberal Democrats)
to answer five questions as to their views in relation to the proposal.
The responses received to date are set out below. Responses have yet to be received from Reform UK and Liberal Democrats.
Click on the “+”sign to see those responses.
I can see no circumstances in which it would be appropriate to place solar farms on high grade agricultural land. Whatever gains may be claimed for solar farms are more than offset by the loss of food production and increased risk to food security. Furthermore, the gains from solar farms are essentially short term while the damage to the land may well be long term and even irreversible, with no guarantee that the land can be fully restored or brought back into production.
Food production in Herefordshire is of the highest importance. Food production that supports wildlife and biodiversity (very connected with question 3) is on the increase in Herefordshire and a really positive way forward. When I spoke to you on the phone, we talked about the possibilities of farmland to exist around solar panels – I think this is a complex topic, and you gave me an interesting link to follow up. I’ll look into it.
Whether a solar farm can provide continuous power would depend on the infrastructure and storage around it I expect – it might not necessarily damage soil structure any more than certain ways of farming.
The potential of this particular plan to provide efficient power in its current form seems in some doubt – you mentioned one of your members having done some work on this, and it does seem to me that some areas would be facing in a way the wouldn’t bring much power, and I think Ellie your previous councillor was of this opinion too.
I support the Labour Government’s aims to increase the levels of home-grown food in this country and as a farmer’s daughter, I understand that sometimes this means farms do need to diversify in order to remain viable. I also understand that if managed correctly, soil quality can be protected in solar projects in rural areas. Any future proposed project should indicate how soil quality is managed.
Yes. The Herefordshire countryside is very beautiful and greatly enjoyed by both residents and visitors and the development of solar farms in rural areas would greatly change the character of those areas to the detriment of both residents and visitors, who are important to Herefordshire’s economy. It would clearly hinder the enjoyment of walkers and riders and the peaceful enjoyment of their properties to which residents should justifiably feel entitled. That solar farms use large quantities of finite rare metals calls into serious question their claim to be sustainable. That the panels are difficult to recycle raises significant environmental issues while the methods of extraction and production raise serious moral issues.
I would be very happy to talk to SABRE and all residents about the proposals, both potential and as they are formalised, as I understand how all of these measures can affect rural areas. One suggestion I have (if elected) is to visit other places where this has been agreed in other areas of Herefordshire, what’s happened since and how it’s affected the villages nearby. This could then be incorporated into responses. You may have already done this of course..
I would hope that any proposal that came forward would only be considered if it indicated how these risks would be minimised through sympathetic landscaping and commitments to recycling. CCTV is common on farms and agricultural land to protect against rural crime, so I would not be concerned that a change of land use would impact this.
Very great weight. There can be no doubt that the development of solar farms on agricultural land must result in very significant habitat loss. Skylarks and hares are prominent examples of wildlife that would suffer but there must be many more, including insect life and small mammals. The natural balance would be upset resulting in certain, and possibly very significant, loss of biodiversity, with no guarantee that it can ever be recovered. By contrast claims by proponents of solar farms of diversity gain must be speculative at best
I would give huge weight to wildlife and biodiversity everywhere! It’s possible and necessary in places that are unspoilt, and in urban areas too. I’m on the Herefordshire Climate and Nature Board, working towards a low carbon nature rich Herefordshire and I’m supporting feedback to the draft local plan that supports this – whilst also encouraging food production that works with both nature and tourism, and the local economy.
I would like to see any proposal that would come forward to include as assessment of impact on biodiversity to inform planning decisions. I understand that studies have shown that in some circumstances biodiversity could be increased, I would expect any good practice on this to be implemented to ensure this was the case.
I would say that you should not be in this position. It is not clear to me that this type of development is consistent with either the Core Strategy or the yet to be finalised Local Plan. I would like to see the Local Plan address the issue of large scale solar installations via a coherent strategy, with clear criteria, to enable potentially suitable sites to be identified. Such a strategy should provide reassurance to residents, clarity to developers and help the Council meet its climate change obligations. That such sites should not include prime agricultural land should be a primary criterion. Should a planning application be made, I would expect the Council of course to respect its published policies and residents to seek to ensure that this is the case.
Again, I would be very happy to talk to all residents about the proposals, both potential and as they are formalised, as I understand how all of these measures can affect rural areas. I would want to talk to residents of other areas where this has happened, and as a result look to reply to the plans with clear examples of impact that the planners will need to take into account.
I would be sympathetic to anyone who is disrupted by developments in their back yard, but as with projects such as housing developments, if plans do come forward and if these were approved, I would expect mitigations around disruption during the development phase.
The terrible irony that residents who are not allowed to put solar panels on their houses should be asked to accept being surrounded by them should highlight the absurdity of what is proposed. Fitting solar panels to new builds makes sense if it can be done without jeopardising affordability. In small scale deployment, such as on house roofs or small community power projects, solar can surely make a useful contribution. Where greater output is required, factory roofs and brownfield sites should be preferred options enabling power to be generated close to where it will be used. There are surely sufficient such sites to ensure that there is no need at all to use farmland. I believe that these considerations should inform local planning strategy and, ideally, be incorporated into the National Planning Policy Framework.
As mentioned, strengthening the (current draft) Local Plan is a priority. One aspect is that all new-build buildings should include renewable energy generation wherever possible. Another is to ensure that all new builds embody good design and energy efficiency. A lot of the feedback I have given to this draft plan is around these conflicting issues, that aren’t feeling ‘joined-up’ enough in our current lives. I’ll work to address that.
As a Labour candidate I fully support the governments ambitious aims in developing renewable energy through GB Energy, increasing the UK’s self-sufficiency in energy production, with all the financial and environmental benefits that brings to working people and businesses and maximising capacity by the use of solar panels on industrial buildings, brownfield sites, houses and farm buildings.
