33-acre solar farm plans submitted for Ludlow
Solar farm plans have been submitted for a green field site near Ludlow – as the applicants launched a charm offensive to win over objectors.
The farm would cover 33 acres of agricultural land at the Henley Hall Estate.
It could be Shropshire's second large-scale solar farm, following the opening of a development in Telford. There is also plans for more power panels in Condover near Shrewsbury.
Bosses at German developers Kronos Solar today said they are "well aware" of the controversy over solar farms in south Shropshire in the past year - and insist their plan is different.
The firm even lists four solar farms that have been thrown out in Shropshire in recent months – at Whitton, near Ludlow, Henley Common, near Acton Scott, Sheriffhales near Telford and High Trees Farm at Tasley – while insisting its Henley Hall Estate scheme "does not cause any such harm that has led to refusal of previous schemes".
Alexander Archache of Kronos Solar has written to local councillors promising "early and comprehensive community involvement" on the 5mw farm.
He said a pre-application public consultation had already taken place and led to 40 percent reduction in the scale of the site.
He said: "We are well aware of the controversial history of solar parks particularly in the south of Shropshire.
"Especially when compared to those schemes, we think we have a very good and acceptable proposal."
He said the scheme would have "no impact" on the Shropshire Hills area of outstanding natural beauty and would not even be visible from it due to the lie of the land and the screening of trees and hedgerows. No new grid infrastructure would be needed as the site is next to an existing substation and there are no footpaths or bridleways "across, along or even close to the proposed site".
Kronos Solar already operates 25 solar parks in the UK.
The fresh plans have been submitted despite Government subsidies for large-scale solar farms over 5MW ending on April 1, and have come just as EBS Energy LLP has resubmitted plans for nearby Whitton, halved in size from 8.6MW to 4.3MW.
Peter van Duijvenvoorde, chairman of the Save South Shropshire Hills campaign group, said he was "horrified" at "these continuing threats to our countryside".
He said previously: "This new proposal would see a 22,000 panel solar factory on good agricultural land close to the historic iron age hill fort of Caynham Camp and a well-used section of the Shropshire Way."
