22 hours Ago By [email protected] (Chris Caulfield)
A decision on plans for a huge solar farm in the Surrey Hills could cost the council 'hundreds of thousands'. The warning came after the proposals for eco energy project were rejected by planning bosses. The 55 hectare solar farm in Cobham Road, Fetcham, would have been large enough to power about one third of all the homes in the Mole Valley, but councillors voted against the plans arguing it was an inappropriate use of green belt land and too close to ancient woodland.
The decision went against the advice of officers who said Mole Valley District Council 's decision would likely be overturned on appeal - and the council charged costs. Councillor Abhiram Magesh ( Liberal Democrat; Mickleham, Westcott & Okewood) said: "It will end up costing the council hundreds of thousands of pounds. It will affect the council’s balance budget.
" He said decisions like this were "not defensible by the legal material planning consideration" and that councillors needed to use vote with their brains, "not with your heart". He added: "What we can be considering, is the economic impact and the financial impact to not only the wider council but the area." The developers, Ethical Power, had argued there was an "overriding" case that delivering renewable energy outweighed the "modest impacts” and that they were “proud to bring forward the project".
Their spokesperson added that it represented a “unique opportunity” to “tackle climate change in Mole Valley” by contributing to energy independence and clean power. Had the power plant been any larger it would have been classified as a nationally significant project requiring government sign off, the meeting heard. Others challenged the environmental benefits of green energy at the expensive of locally grown food and argued that the 40 year proposed life span of the site was anything but temporary.
Cllr Simon Budd ( Conservative; Brockham, Betchworth, Buckland Box Hill & Headley) said: “The land that you are covering up, it's good quality land that grows food. At the moment the food is grown in Fetcham and it's sold in Fetcham in a farmers shop in Fetcham, you've got zero miles, you've got grain that goes off to make bread, fantastic zero miles on it. If you cover up land in Fetcham people have still got to eat so you've got to import grain.
" He added: "I feel very strongly about turning what is good agricultural land into what is basically you are ruining the countryside you really are ruining it. The gain of a little bit of electric is not worth the loss of this land." Councillors narrowly voted seven to five, with one abstention, to refuse the 49.
5 megawatts plant at the council’s development management committee on Wednesday, April 23. Join our new Whatsapp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of SurreyLive content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
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