People living near the site of a planned major South Cumbrian solar farm have set up a group to oppose the proposals.
Innova Renewables Developments Ltd wants to create the solar farm on land between Barrow and Ulverston.
The 82-hectare development – equivalent to 115 football pitches – would be capable of powering 12,740 homes and save 10,700 tonnes of CO2 each year, the developers said.
However, people living near Riddings Lane in Gleaston said they feared the ‘industrial-scale’ scheme was in the wrong place.
They have set up Riddings Lane Solar Farm Action Group.
A spokesman for the group said: “We’re not against solar power; we just think there’s more appropriate places for it such as brownfield sites.”
He added: “The consequences of approving this plan will echo through our community for decades to come. It is not a simple matter of clean energy; it is a matter
of irreversible change to the character, safety, and health of where we live.
“We are not a group of nimbys. We are concerned residents. And our concerns are real — some fall within planning law, others may not.”
They said they were concerned about:
- Increased risk of flooding
- Persistent noise from construction and operation
- Heavy traffic on the coast road
- Pollution to land and water
- Heightened risk of fire from the electrical equipment
- Increased theft and criminal activity
And, the group added, its major concern was the visual impact of the solar farm, which it said had the potential to look like a cross between an industrial complex and a prison.
The group added: “We are talking about a landscape dominated by four metre high structures, ringed with security fencing and CCTV.”
Over 40 objections have also been submitted to Westmorland and Furness Council, which will make the final decision on the application.
The firm said that energy security had become a significant concern since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which had also prompted soaring energy prices.
It added: “It is becoming increasingly evident that there is a desire within the Government to be as self-sufficient as possible with our energy supply.”
The land is currently marked as grade three agricultural land, which means it is of ‘moderate quality’, according to Natural England’s Regional Maps.
If approved, the solar farm would take around nine months to build and the firm said there would be a peak number of 28 deliveries a day.
The solar farm would have a lifespan of 40 years and after it was decommissioned, the land would be returned to its former use.
People can continue to comment on the application until May 4. The group said that letters needed to be completed by April 25.
