MP requests government review of solar farm approval

Jeremy Hunt has requested that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner examine a decision concerning the construction of a solar farm situated on green belt land. Permission was granted to the University of Surrey for construction on a 43-hectare plot located west of Blackwell Farm, specifically on the Hog’s Back, close to Guildford. Hunt, who serves as the Member of Parliament for Godalming and Ash, expressed apprehension that “due weight was not given to the site” given its location within the Surrey Hills National Landscape. The university received approval on November 6 to proceed with the solar farm’s construction, a project it stated would generate 34% of its required electricity. Hunt further noted that the southern and western portions of the land fall within his parliamentary constituency and referred to the Hog’s Back as “a key site” within the Surrey Hills National Landscape. He stated: “I am also concerned to learn that no assessment was undertaken of the carbon impact of the overall scheme (including the substantial road infrastructure) so there was no way of knowing if the solar plant is genuinely ‘green’ or whether the scheme’s benefits outweigh the embedded carbon in its construction.” The Ministry of Housing indicated that commenting would not be appropriate, while Guildford Borough Council has been approached for a statement. A spokesperson for the University of Surrey affirmed that the project aligns “firmly in line” with both local and national planning policy priorities. They further stated: “Over an extremely thorough 18-month planning process, the University of Surrey’s application for a new solar facility was extensively consulted on and scrutinised. “We made changes through the process to maximise biodiversity gains, visual screening and address other points raised through the process.”