Road worries raised over Shrewsbury solar farm bid
Highways officials have objected to plans for a giant solar farm in the Shropshire countryside near Shrewsbury.
Plans have been submitted for more than 35,000 solar panels to be built across two fields covering nearly 61 acres, or 25 hectares at Green Farm, about a mile north of Condover near Shrewsbury.
But the design of the scheme has been objected to in its current form by Shropshire Council's highways department.
In a report to planners Tim Roberts, from the highways department, said part of the current access arrangements proposed for the site need to be improved.
"The scheme proposes the temporary use of an existing access to facilitate the construction of the solar park and the improving of another access closer to the farm for ongoing weekly maintenance," the report said.
"The proposed temporary access arrangements and the means of routing HGV traffic to this is acceptable from a highways aspect.
"The other access to be used for ongoing weekly maintenance is not acceptable in terms of visibility for emerging drivers of light vehicles, as proposed.
"I must therefore raise an objection to this part of the scheme and recommend improvements in the interest of highway safety," he added.
"Currently the access is an agricultural gateway onto the highway which is on the inside of a sharp bend.
"Visibility in both directions of approaching traffic is almost nil for the driver of a light vehicle, although I accept that the drivers of large agricultural vehicles may be able to see over the top of the adjacent hedges."
He said visibility levels should be improved by cutting back hedges.
Mr Roberts added: "Should this involve the removal of too much hedge and not be acceptable in environmental terms I would recommend that an alternative access point is used, possibly the construction access point."
Developers have submitted plans for the site, which they say would generate enough power to supply more than 3,000 homes.
The plans were submitted by Monmouth firm the Solar Building Company.
Developers say it will help tackle climate change and that any potential impact from construction of the solar panels will be "not significant".
If it is given the go-ahead the solar park would take four months to build and the 35,800 solar panels would be a maximum of 10 feet above ground level.
It is intended to operate for 25 years before the fields are returned to agricultural use.
