We have more reports of solar farms encroaching on greenbelt land in the East Midlands. This time, an energy firm wants to create two new solar farms spanning 328 acres between two Derbyshire villages.
The sites earmarked for the farms are north of Denby and north of Smalley and sit 500m apart. The Denby scheme would comprise 148 acres off Derby Road, near the Denby Pottery Complex. Tellingly, a two-megawatt solar array was installed earlier this year, showing there’s no stop to these developments.
The Kidsley Park Farm project would be built on a 180-acre site off Heanor Road, Smalley, covering fields between Heanor and the village.
The justification that the energy firm Intelligent Alternatives is running with is that the sites were formerly used for coal mining before being restored to agricultural fields and have been rated as low-quality farming land.
A spokesperson said the proposals would “result in harm to the openness of the Green Belt” but claims it would “not be significant as a result of their low-level nature and the potential for landscaping to be deployed to minimise impacts”. They seem to be forgetting that low-grade fields are still far more picturesque, with locals preferring uncluttered views and the non-industrialised character of the landscapes. To put it simply, solar and wind farms are eyesores.
The controversy doesn’t end here. Each solar farm would produce 40 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The government usually decides whether planning permission is granted for a solar farm producing 50MW, but Amber Valley Borough Council will have the final say on each application. In other words, Intelligent Alternatives are side-stepping the more transparent, bureaucratic approach and potentially ending up with 60% more space for development. It may be technically legal, but it is very underhanded.
Seeing how the local community reacts to the plans will be interesting. We recently reported on similar proposals in Nottinghamshire, where residents and parish councils joined forces to resist two major solar farms in Caulton and Kelham, proving how much power and influence can be had locally.
We’ll continue to monitor these proposals around the East Midlands and provide updates accordingly.
