Campaigners overjoyed solar farm plans rejected

Residents have won a two-year fight to stop plans for a solar farm to the north of their village.

The scheme would have covered 163 acres (66 hectares) - which is about the size of 90 football fields - on fields in Morton in North East Derbyshire.

RWE, the company behind the plans, said it would have been a clean way of producing power on a large scale to help cut carbon emissions.

But residents in Morton successfully argued that a popular place for walkers would have been lost if the plans had gone ahead.

Campaigner Sarah Barraclough said: "I am amazed because I didn't think we had a chance against such a big multi-million pound company, with such a small team in such a small village.

"So I am overjoyed that the inspector listened to our concerns and what we were saying."

The plans for the solar farm, near Stretton Road, were originally submitted in December 2023, but North East Derbyshire District Council planners turned these down.

RWE appealed against this decision, but last week the government planning inspector Lora Hughes dismissed the appeal after hearing evidence from all sides.

Morton resident Neil Radford said: "It has been a great result for the community, for the wildlife and everything else here.

"It still shows that when people come together for a common cause on planning and environmental changes to their village, their voices can really make a difference."

Becky Spackman, who was also part of the campaign, said at present the site had footpaths through fields that were accessible to the disabled and were popular with families, which would be greatly missed.

She said that she recognised the benefits of solar power, but believed that there were better ways to harness the Sun's energy.

"We believe there are more suitable locations for solar panels, one of which is rooftops and another one is brownfield sites - but they do cost more," added Spackman.

RWE said that solar farms were a clean and environmentally-friendly way of producing energy.

It added that this solar farm would have generated enough energy to power 18,600 homes.

"Following the refusal of our planning application and the subsequent dismissal of our appeal, we are naturally disappointed with the outcome," a spokesperson said.

"Throughout this process, we have worked to ensure that our proposal was carefully considered, responsive to feedback, and aligned as far as possible with local planning policies and community context.

"We respect the decision reached, although we do not fully agree with the conclusions drawn.

"We will now take time to review the decision in detail. We would like to thank those who engaged constructively during the process."

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