Cllr Anne Parry, Ward Member for Wellesbourne North and Rural wrote recently to the editor of the Herald with concerns over a lack of action from the Liberal Democrat administration at Stratford District Council for a motion put forward in April 2023 to cover planning policy on the cumulative impact of solar farms.
The letter states:
''I WRITE on behalf of my residents in Moreton Morrell, Lighthorne, Newbold Pacey and Ashorne, who are losing both landscape character and food-producing agricultural land with the granting of yet another solar farm on their doorstep.
However, planning policy on the cumulative impact of solar farms in this part of the district continues to be kicked down the road, despite the Conservative group raising this serious issue in a motion to full council proposed by Cllr Penny-Anne O'Donnell and seconded by Cllr Chris Mills over two years ago in April 2023.
In the last 24 months the Lib Dem administration has made zero progress on taking this motion on board, which I reminded the leader at full council on 14th April.
The lack of progress was confirmed by Cllr Susan Juned, who advised that policy on the cumulative impact of solar farms would have to wait for inclusion in the development of the South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP). However, she failed to realise that detailed planning policies - such as renewable energy policies - will not even be developed until the second part of the SWLP; work on which is not scheduled to start until 2028 - five years after the Conservatives first raised the issue, when quite possibly the District Council will have ceased to exist and be covered in solar panels!
Through your columns, may I remind the leader of the minutes from the April 2023 full council meeting which confirmed that 'this council resolves to ask officers to fully consider the cumulative impact of solar farm development during the planning process now and urgently to progress work on policies relating to solar energy generation'
This included:
- Developing planning policies that balance the benefits of local power generation with the loss of productive agricultural land and valuable landscape.
- Ensuring that the cumulative impacts of large solar arrays in open countryside and in the vicinity of settlements are fully assessed in the development management process.
- Limiting excessive massing of solar farms in any area of the district.
- Encouraging the deployment of rooftop solar and exploring approaches for heritage assets.
The delays and lack of urgent action in this respect over the last two years reflect a complete failure by the administration and must be put right and swiftly.''
