Campaigners oppose large solar farm near Melton

Windel Energy has submitted plans to Melton Borough Council for Brentingby Meadows Solar Farm, which they say would power more than 13,000 homes with renewable power.

But the development would be close to the villages of Brentingby and Wyfordby and locals fear it will ruin their quality of life and remove important farmland and wildlife habitats.

The plans show that three-metre-high, ground-mounted arrays would be installed, if proposals are approved, and the ‘point of connection to the national grid will be via an existing pylon located within the development site, negating the need to lay a cable within the highway’.

The company states on its website: “Our project will have a generating capacity of up to 45MW, helping deliver clean, renewable power to over 13,100 homes and helping to offset over 13,200 tonnes of Co2 per year.

"We are progressing with design development, environmental and technical assessment work and have consulted with the public and local stakeholders.

“All comments received during the consultation will be considered when finalising the design and site layout of the development prior to submission of the planning application.

“Once the planning application is submitted, during the determination period, Melton Borough Council will also carry out their own consultation.”

The scheme has angered villagers living near the proposed site, however, and an online fundraising page has already generated £300, with funds needed to provide banners and signs, operate an online campaign and pay for planning advice.

The campaigners state: “We are local residents from the peaceful villages of Brentingby and Wyfordby in rural Leicestershire, just outside Melton Mowbray, urgently coming together to oppose a proposed 127-acre industrial solar development right on our doorstep.

“We are not against solar but it is planned in the wrong place adjacent to two villages.

“It’s crazy and not appropriate.

“It needs to be stopped, downsized or moved away from the villages.”

The campaigners say they oppose it because it will result in the ‘destruction of historic agricultural grazing land farmed for hundreds of years’.

It will harm wildlife and their habitats, they say, remove vit food-producing land, hit local house values and damage their ‘tranquil way of life’.