A further proposal has been announced for another large scale solar development in Lincolnshire – this time near Stamford. The announcement re-enforces earlier warnings from county councillors that rural Lincolnshire is being seen as an easy target for these types of developments, and local residents need to have their say on whether they progress.
The Mallard Pass proposal from Windel Energy would see 880 hectares of land in South Kesteven and into Rutland utilised for solar power generation. The county council is now aware of five such proposals in Lincolnshire, all utilising agricultural land. These proposals are all classed as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects which means they will ultimately be decided by the Secretary of State.
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for environment and strategic planning at Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“Lincolnshire’s agricultural land has the capacity to make a significant contribution to the UK’s food security, so I will be asking developers to demonstrate the benefits and costs of their proposals in terms of the additional carbon output from the import of food that could have been produced on this land.
“It’s important that all local authorities, as consultees, make sure our resident’s views are heard about the plans as the scale and size of the proposals are truly enormous.”
Lincolnshire County Council expects to formally consider the proposals in the Spring 2022. More information about Mallard Pass can be found at Mallard Pass Solar Farm
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