Solar farm size of 100 football pitches approved in Devon

Devon councillors have approved plans for a large solar farm, the size of 100 football pitches, to be built on agricultural land.

Torridge District Council’s Planning Committee members voted by a narrow margin (five votes to four) to grant permission for the Derrill Water solar farm.

Up to 76,000 panels will be built across four parcels of land over 28 fields, covering 66ha (164 acres) for the 42MW structure in Pyworthy, near Holsworthy, north-west Devon, making it the largest solar farm in the county.

See also: Large solar project will ruin prime land, say campaigners

The land is owned by a fifth-generation farmer and is currently used for grazing cattle and sheep.

More than 200 residents and two parish councils objected to the proposal. The Devon branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said the decision to grant permission for the solar farm was “very disappointing”.

Council decision is ‘misguided’

Speaking after the vote, Devon CPRE trustee Steve Crowther said this meant “yet another swathe of Devon’s agricultural land will become glass instead of grass”.

He added: “We’re talking about good-quality farmland, and nature has already given us the best means of converting the sun’s energy – to produce nutritious food.

“Councillors may think they’re doing the best thing for the planet by granting permission for these massive solar farms on green fields, but they are misguided. We won’t give up trying to get this message across.”

Devon CPRE said more than 4,000 acres of Devon farmland has already been developed for solar farms, and plans for several other massive solar installations – two of them in Torridge – have yet to be decided. 

Actor John Nettles, the star of television’s Bergerac and Midsomer Murders, led the campaign against the solar farm in conjunction with Devon CPRE.

The actor, who keeps donkeys and horses on a smallholding near Holsworthy, said in a video in May: “This area around Holsworthy is an agricultural community.

“It’s been like this for hundreds of years, but now this beautiful landscape is being threatened by a different type of farming.”

Net-zero challenge

However, Renewable Energy Systems (RES), the company behind the application, said the solar farm will be a “carefully sited and designed project”.

A spokesperson for RES said: “As Glasgow hosts the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference, it has also never been more pertinent to consider the importance of large-scale renewable projects, like Derrill Water, in helping the UK to meet its net-zero target.

“As laid out in its Net-Zero Strategy published just last month, the UK government has made it clear that solar and wind will be the backbone to achieving a secure, affordable and low-carbon energy supply.”