Rutland Solar Farm Project Receives Approval

Plans for a new solar farm in Rutland have been approved. Rutland County Council’s planning committee endorsed a proposal by Anglian Water and TotalEnergies to install more than 87,000 solar panels on agricultural land at Staveley Farm, Pilton. The council received over 200 letters of objection regarding the scheme, which the water company states will assist in achieving its carbon-zero targets. The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that the decision was passed at a meeting on Thursday. This approval follows the government’s earlier decision to designate the Mallard Pass scheme, located on the Rutland-Lincolnshire border, as a national infrastructure project. Planning officer Nick Thrower informed the committee that all material planning considerations had been evaluated, concluding that the solar farm should be approved despite certain drawbacks. It was noted during the meeting that, with this approval, the total area of land in the county to be covered by solar panels will be equivalent to the size of Rutland Water. Liberal Democrat Andrew Johnson, speaking against the development, stated that because the energy farm, which will occupy 220 acres, would be situated on a hill, it would be visible from a significant distance. He commented, “This is a very large and contentious application and it has generated something in the region of 220 objections, which is enormous.” Johnson added, “Officers have recommended approval based on a balance of all considerations, this means you can interrogate and disagree with the balance and I would ask you to be very careful about some of the phrases that are used and some of the evidence that is quoted because I would disagree with quite a lot of it.” He concluded by saying, “There is a summary of the balance at the back and the conclusion is that there are two positives, eight neutrals and five negatives. I don’t quite see how a positive approval comes out.” Conservative councillor Giles Clifton also expressed opposition to the plan, asserting that it would negatively impact valuable landscape and constitutes a “utilitarian form of development.” However, Conservative member David Wilby described the Pilton farm as “a neat little package” in comparison to Mallard Pass, which he indicated would be difficult to refuse on balance. Labour’s Steve McRobb stated that he believed the matter was “very finely balanced” but ultimately supported its approval.