PLANS for another solar farm in the Winchester district will be discussed by council planners next week.
Lovedean Green Limited has applied to Winchester City Council for permission to erect a solar farm facility on four separate parcels of land at Denmead Farm, Edneys Lane.
The farm would straddle the border between Winchester City Council’s district and the East Hampshire District Council area.
Council planning officers are recommending that the plans be permitted.
READ MORE: New solar farm approved by Winchester planning committee
The application will be discussed by Winchester City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday, October 16.
This application will be the latest solar farm plans heard by the committee after it approved an application for one south of Crabwood, Sarum Road, near Sparsholt at the end of September.
The plans have divided local opinion since they were first submitted in February 2022, with 127 letters of support across three rounds of consultation from members of the public, and 117 letters objecting. Denmead Parish Council, the city council landscape officer, and the South Downs National Park are also objecting.
Anna Herron, of Canon Street, Winchester, supported the application, saying that she believes that developments like it are “essential in helping us tackle climate change.” She wrote: “The amount of electricity that we will require to heat our homes and run our vehicles will keep increasing. Therefore, we need to invest in cleaner ways of providing this energy. While I wish we didn't need to interfere with our natural environment at all. Solar farms are one of the least intrusive means providing a massive need for energy.”
Dr Jenni Dixon, of Cams Hill Lane, also supported the plan, saying: “The climate emergency needs to be addressed and here is a great opportunity to help contribute some green energy to our local environment and support biodiversity and wildlife. It will help to give us energy security too”.
Thomas Ross, of Broadway Lane, objected to the plans, raising concerns about overdevelopment. He said: “This is too much development for our small rural hamlet of Hinton Daubney and Lovedean Village. We have had years of stressful noise, road closures, mess, removal of trees, power cuts, heavy vehicles and traffic disruption which is now set to continue for many more years.”
He continued: “Residents were against the massive expansion of Lovedean Substation into farmland and fields, and now the extensive battery and solar farm will be built to the North, South and West of this, again on precious fields and farmland which is home to dormice, bats, badgers and a wealth of flora and fauna. Once this land is taken, we are concerned that this will be a green light for the neighbouring Aquind Interconnector site to be approved.”
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Barry Scott, of Broadway Lane, objected, saying: “The proposed development would dramatically change the whole nature of the area from the current countryside to an industrial landscape.”
Denmead Parish Council objected for multiple reasons, including the loss of agricultural land, the impact on nature and possible noise pollution.
The application will be discussed by the planning committee on October 16.
The full details of the plans can be found by visiting the Winchester City Council online planning portal and searching using reference 22/00447/FUL.
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