Decision due on large Ringmer solar farm put forward by OVESCO

On Wednesday (November 9), Lewes District Council’s planning committee is set to consider an application to erect a solar panel array and associated infrastructure on a series of fields between Uckfield Road and Norlington Lane.

The proposals, from community interest company OVESCO, have split opinions with hundreds of residents voicing both support and opposition.

A key concern of objectors — which include Ringmer Parish Council, several campaign groups, a ward councillor Emily O’Brien and MP Maria Caulfield — is the loss of farming land and its impact on the countryside character of the surrounding area.

But council planning officers say that they do not consider these objections to be significant enough to refuse planning permission. This is because any land use would be reversible and mitigation work could prevent substantial harm in terms of landscape impact during the solar farm’s operation.

These mitigations could also prevent impact on a number of Grade II listed properties in Norlington Lane, planning officers say

If the committee approves the application, the council intends to refer it to the Secretary of State, with planning permission only to be granted if the scheme is not called in.

Even if this happens, questions will remain around the next steps for the project.

When it was first announced back in March last year, council leaders hailed the solar farm as an ‘exciting project’ which could receive up to £3m of investment. As the project has progressed, however, political leaders have been less keen on the plans.

The matter came to a head in August, following publication of an updated Agricultural Land Classification report. This showed parts of the site were of a higher agricultural quality than first thought.

Following this report, Lewes District Council’s cabinet member for sustainability Matthew Bird called on OVESCO to withdraw what he described as a ‘fundamentally compromised’ application.

However Lib Dem Sean MacLeod, a councillor for Ouse Valley and Ringmer, is backing the project. He explained: “Yes, mistakes have been made around the land grading but I still feel this is the right thing to do. I fully believe as Green Liberal Democrat that we have to invest in renewables and I feel this will help.”