We try hard to look at each plan on its own merits and we do support some schemes if they are well hidden by local topography and are on low grade farmland - especially if they are in community ownership. 

We recognise that solar energy can make a key contribution to reducing carbon emissions but we do not believe that our landscapes and good quality farmland should be sacrificed while many other more suitable locations are available.  The Government itself has stated that there are 250,000 hectares of south-facing commercial roofspace in the UK and it recognises that these should be the priority for future efforts to site solar panels.

In the meantime, the subsidies remain in place and the planning applications keep on coming in.  We were involved in 12 separate campaigns against large scale solar parks during 2013; this figure rose to 14 in 2014.  We scrutinise every plan to ensure that the Agricultural Land Classification Survey has been carried out correctly and we object most strongly to the loss of any farmland classed as Best & Most Versatile (BMV), which is land Graded 1, 2 or 3a. We have also objected to proposed large scale solar farms which would have been highly visible from our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or which would have impacted severely on the enjoyment of people using local footpaths for recreation.  We will continue to do so.

More than anything we are concerned about the cumulative effect of scattered solar farms across our landscape and we urge planners to consider the bigger picture and protect our landscape character.