A controversial planning application for the construction and operating of a 30MW large solar farm on farmland north of Penrith at Calthwaite is set to be approved next month despite attracting more than 270 objections and unanimous opposition to the plans at a public meeting.
The application for land at Devonshire Square / High Rigg Farm is seeking planning permission for a solar energy farm covering a substantial area of open countryside, along with access tracks, security fencing, inverter stations and associated infrastructure.
The decision will be taken by Westmorland and Furness Council’s Strategic Planning Committee when it meets in Kendal on 8 January. Council planning officers are recommending that the application be approved, and councillors are expected to follow officer advice when the application is considered at Kendal Town Hall.
During the planning consultation period, more than 270 members of the public raised concerns about the scale of the development, its visual impact on the surrounding landscape, the loss of agricultural land and increased construction traffic on narrow rural roads. The overwhelming majority of comments objected to the proposal, including submissions from individuals as far away as Kent.
A public meeting was also held to discuss the plans, with all those who spoke doing so in opposition. Local residents and Skelton parish council questioned whether a development of the proposed size was appropriate for the location and warned it would change the character of the area for many years to come as well as wider concerns including the impact on local roads during construction and glare from the completed solar farm as well as the loss of agricultural land.
Planning officers have now completed their assessment of the application and concluded that the development should be approved, subject to a range of conditions. These include controls on construction hours and traffic management, landscaping and screening measures, ecological protection and monitoring, limits on noise, and requirements for the site to be fully decommissioned and restored to agricultural use at the end of its operational life.
The meeting on 8 January will determine whether the solar farm can proceed or whether councillors choose to go against the officer recommendation and refuse the application — a move that could expose the council to a costly planning appeal.
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