Cheers, hugs and lettuces as solar farm near Chichester is refused

The application to place rows of panels on two parcels of land next to Lime Kiln Barn, in Runcton Lane, was rejected by nine votes to three during a meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday (May 7), having been deferred for more information in April.

While officers recommended the plans be approved, most councillors agreed with Roy Briscoe (Con, Westbourne), who called for them to be turned down. The grounds for doing so were: the loss of around 90 acres of best quality agricultural land, the impact on the landscape and rural character of the area, and the lack of an S106 legal agreement with applicant BNRG Langmead Ltd.

Richard Bates (Lib Dem, Harbour Villages) said: “I’m a tremendous supporter of renewable energy and I think it’s a really great idea to find alternative sources of energy, but this is the wrong place to be looking for it. There are other fields that are of lower agricultural value. If we must put them on farmland we could place panels elsewhere in the area. Not here.”

Most of the committee agreed, though John Cross (Lib Dem, Fittleworth) felt that allowing the panels to sit in place for the proposed 40 years would be better for wildlife than keeping it for farming.

The council received more than 300 objections to the plans, along with a 684-name petition from the South Mundham and Runcton Trustees – Fields For Food (SMART-FFF).

Many of the concerns raised, – such as the impact on the Wildlife Corridor which cuts through part of the site, the impact on the character of the area, and whether another solar site was needed – were echoed by the committee.

And the lettuces? A box of them were brought to the meeting by one of the SMART-FFF team in recognition of the millions which have been grown on the site each year. They were handed out to the delighted protesters as they gathered afterwards to celebrate in the sunshine.

Chairman Mark Linzey said common sense had won through, adding: “When this application came up, from the start we knew it wasn’t right. None of us are against solar but it’s got to be in the right place.”

While Mr Linzey and his group may have been all smiles, there was little doubt that the council’s decision would be appealed by BNRG Langmead Ltd.

Officers felt the refusal would be ‘difficult to defend’, but Mr Linzey said the decision had been made on ‘very reasonable grounds’.

To view the application, log on to publicaccess.chichester.gov.uk and search for 24/01859/FUL.