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Plans for solar farm with 31,000 panels rejected

BBC · last updated

Plans to cover an area of countryside the size of 24 football pitches with 31,000 solar panels have been turned down.

Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee rejected a proposal for a solar farm and battery storage facility at Whistle Mead in Little Chalfield, near Melksham, on Tuesday.

Local residents previously claimed the proposals would have left them “surrounded” by solar farms.

But ABEI Energy, the company behind the plans, said the proposed site was “essential” to meet the council’s 2030 target for renewable energy generation.

The site is located about 180m (591ft) from the nearest house and under a mile from the Grade I-listed Great Chalfield Manor.

During a three hour debate, the committee discussed the proposal’s impact on the surrounding landscape and potential fire risks.

ABEI Energy’s Stewart Lovesey told councillors: “As recent developments in Iran show, the need for domestic energy and fuel resilience is high.

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