Not only are some local people unhappy with the siting of a solar panel array that is being constructed on a farm located between Leominster and Ludlow but English Heritage are upset that they were not consulted about the development at the planning stage. In fact English Heritage, that is a government body, has written to Herefordshire council wanting to know why its input was not sought about the solar panel installation.
A solar panel farm
(image credit: Dave Dugdale)
There are a number of locals in Brimfield who are concerned as some believe that the scheme is larger than the planning application that was agreed last year by officers at the council.
Andrew Burton was given authority to locate the solar panel array at a new storage unit in Brimfield. A neighbour is under the belief that there were to be around 420 solar panels but there are now expected to be about 590. Concern was expressed at the height of the development feeling that it looked like a grandstand.
A minimum of one hundred and fifty people signed a petition about the solar panel farm development that was subsequently given to Councillor Phil Cutter who is the Planning Committee’s chairperson. People from the council’s planning department are expected to be going to visit the site of the solar panel farm in the course of the next few days presumably to check that it is being constructed in accordance with the planning approval terms and conditions that were issued.
It is also expected that the council will be responding to English Heritage about their letter shortly.
Let us hope that any issues about this solar panel farm installation can be resolved to everybody’s satisfaction so that all parties are able to move forward. Here in the United Kingdom, it is important that communities, planners and developers work together to ensure that carbon emission targets are achieved.
