Natural England issues update on mega Telford solar farm plan

Natural England has had its say on proposals for a 58 hectare solar farm on land between Telford and Newport as a planning application moves closer.

Telford & Wrekin Council is consulting on whether the developers will have to submit a full Environmental Impact Assessment with the planning application which is expected later this year.

Natural England is the government's adviser for the natural environment.

The body has confirmed that "significant effects on statutorily designated nature conservation sites or landscapes are unlikely" on the land between The Incline and New House Farm, at Lilleshall.

The organisation has also confirmed that the land is not within or partly within any Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or a wetland area given international importance.

But Natural England has told council planners that the developer must provide information to assess the affect on protected species and plans to deal with that.

And the council's own advisers must be asked too, the official body stated.

Developers Willmoor Solar Limited (a part of Greenvolt Power) was asked by the council to provide more information on a priority wetland habitat and what would happen there.

Its consultants have told the council that part of the site was identified in a desktop study as an area of purple moor grass and rush pasture on poorly drained soils.

But the priority habitat inventory listing dates from 2020, and the area "may have become degraded in the intervening period."

The consultants add that the presence of arable farmland indicates the listing is not current.

And they write that it has not been listed as a part of the Shropshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy "suggesting no current data indicating ecological significance."

The developer's consultants conclude that none of the areas identified on an inventory of priority habitat currently meet the definition of a priority habitat.

With or without an Environmental Impact Assessment the 30MW solar farm could power 11,000 homes.

Meanwhile a petition against the solar farm has now passed the 460 mark.

The opposition petition is at https://stopsolar.lesstalkmoreaction.uk

Developers Greenvolt Power describes the proposal on a website here: website at https://power.greenvolt.com/uk-lilleshallsolar