Matt Western – Radford Semele Solar Farm Petition
Following my meeting with local residents living near the proposed site, such as yourself, and since consulting the developers and other local stakeholders, I have launched a petition calling for this solar farm’s planning application to be refused.
Published: 14 January 2025
On Tuesday, 15th October, developers submitted a planning application for a 212-acre solar farm to be located southeast of Radford Semele, Leamington Spa. The proposal includes the installation of 75,300 solar panels, with a generating capacity of 49.99 megawatts (MW), and a request for a 40-year lease on the site. For further details about the application, you can click here.After reviewing the plans, meeting with the developers, listening to the concerns of local residents, and consulting with key stakeholders, I believe that Warwick District Council’s planning committee should not approve this application.
While I acknowledge the importance of this project in contributing to the UK Government’s renewable energy goals and addressing the climate crisis, I am concerned that the developers have been misleading and disingenuous in their approach.
By signing this petition, you will join me in urging the review and refusal of this proposal to develop a 212-acre solar farm southeast of Radford Semele, Leamington Spa, due to the following concerns:
- its size, the minor deviance of 0.01MW below the acceptable tolerance stipulated by the Government’s 50MW threshold should not diminish the project’s qualification as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP);
- its scale, the immediacy of 75,300 solar panels to a substantial village;?
- the cumulative impact of several large-scale solar farms in the local area, government data suggests that 3 additional solar farms, are either operational or being developed within 2 miles of the site;
- the use of predominantly ‘best’ and ‘most versatile’ agricultural land, which should be protected from such industrial developments;
- its impact on the recreational amenity of the residents, there are 2 footpaths leading out into the countryside that are valued by local residents;
- the lack of proper community inclusion in the proposal, planning and consumption of this local energy scheme. In its current form, the proposed solar farm offers little to no benefit to residents who live near the site, such as cheaper energy bills.