CALLS are being made to limit the impact of solar farms on the district’s countryside.
A motion has been put forward to Stratford District Council by Wellesbourne councillor Penny-Anne O’Donnell following concerns at the number of solar farms which have appeared in the district.
The motion acknowledges the need for renewable energy to be generated in the district to help meet the demand for power and that solar power forms a part of this.
But the motion follows growing concern at the impact the increasing number of farms have, with some existing sites in the district having been labelled a blot on the landscape.
And there is also concern solar farms could take agricultural land out of production.
A draft National Planning Policy Framework places emphasis on considering the availability of agricultural land for food production when deciding which sites are most appropriate for solar farm development.
The motion calls on SDC to fully consider the cumulative impact of solar farm development during the planning process and urgently work on policies relating to solar energy generation.
They include developing planning policies that balance the benefits of local power generation with the loss of productive agricultural land, ensuring the full impacts in open countryside and near homes were fully assessed and encouraging the deployment of rooftop solar.
The motion is set to go before SDC’s Cabinet on Monday (June 5).
Coun O’Donnell has also put forward a motion calling for public access defibrillators to be installed in all new housing developments in the district.
