Everything we know so far about West Sussex village solar farm plans amid government intervention and celebrity-backed campaign

Chichester District Council (CDC) gave permission for energy firm Renewable Connections Developments to build on 63 acres of farmland east of the B2133 at Wisborough Green.

The application was approved during a meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday (December 3), which was attended by a number of objectors, including rock legend Mike Rutherford.

Arundel and South Downs MP, Andrew Griffith – who presented a petition in Parliament on Tuesday, December 2 – slammed the decision to allow the 25-hectare solar farm to be built on farmland between Wisborough Green and Loxwood.

He said: “This is a deeply damaging decision that will destroy open countryside for decades.”

Following the meeting, Mr Rutherford – co-founder, lead guitarist and bassist of the rock band Genesis and Mike and the Mechanics – said they would ‘seek advice’ about whether or not there was a case to call for a review of the council’s decision.

Days later, it was confirmed that MP Andrew Griffith had requested for the decision to be called-in.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government wrote to Chichester District Council on Friday to issue an Article 31 Direction. The council must not publish its decision until the Secretary of State has reviewed the case for himself.

In response, a CDC spokesperson said: “At this stage, the application has not been called in. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has advised us that the Secretary of State is currently considering whether to call in the application. We are waiting for their decision, and during this time, we are unable to determine the application.”

After the application was given the green light, the CDC spokesperson said: “As a council, we are required to follow national planning policy guidance.

"The planning committee carefully considered all of the information presented and weighed the evidence against this guidance. While acknowledging the concerns raised by some members of the public, the majority of councillors concluded that there were no valid planning grounds to refuse the application.

"The planning committee resolved to approve the scheme, subject to conditions and Section 106 obligations.”

The council received more than 170 objections to the plans, with the proposals described as ‘a further blight on the West Sussex landscape’. Questions were asked about the location and about why the county highways team didn’t visit the site but rather carried out a desktop study.

Objections were also received from the parish councils of Wisborough Green, Loxwood, Kirdford, and Plaistow & Ifold.

While they expressed sympathy for residents, they had to follow planning policy and did not feel there was enough about the application which raised questions.

Wary also of the council losing an expensive appeal, the plans were approved by six votes to three.

Jonathan Plumb, Chief Operating Officer at Renewable Connections, said: “The application for the 20MW Wisborough Solar Farm in West Sussex has been carefully developed following several years of environmental studies, assessments, and design work.

"To ensure the delivery of a well-designed solar farm, appropriate for its surroundings, we also undertook community and stakeholder engagement. The proposed application received a positive recommendation from Chichester District Council officers and no objections from statutory consultees.

“Chichester District Council published a new Climate Emergency Action Plan this year and we believe Wisborough Solar Farm will support the delivery of some of the important initiatives within that plan."

The developer said the solar farm has the potential to provide energy for up to 6,300 homes every year, and displace approximately 139,000 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime.