Controversial Sunnica £600m solar farm to be built on Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border
16th July 2024
Controversial plans for a huge solar farm to be built on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border have just been approved by the new secretary of state for energy.
The proposal has been hugely controversial locally, with both former MP Matt Hancock and his newly-elected successor, Nick Timothy, objecting to the plans.
The Sunnica Solar Farm is one of three new solar farms that have just been approved by new secretary of state for energy, Ed Miliband. He said that solar power was “crucial to achieving net zero”.
Massive blow to local communities and agriculture
The £600 million Sunnica project would see a 2,500-acre solar farm being built on a 15-mile stretch, affecting 16 parishes and towns along its route.
Residents and farmers from Chippenham, Isleham, Freckenham, Fordham, West Row, Worlington, Burwell, Barton Mills, Red Lodge and Snailwell – who would all be affected by the development – have raised their concerns.
The Say No to Sunnica Community Action Group said the solar farm would be built on some of the UK’s best, high-yielding irrigated farmland. Its members have also questioned the design and location of the development.
Councillor Richard Rout of Suffolk County Council said that the approval of this solar farm is a “massive blow to local communities, agriculture, nature and our landscape” in the west of Suffolk.
He added: “I am frankly shocked that the poorest infrastructure application that I have ever dealt with, has now been approved – we highlighted numerous deficiencies in the submission.
“The voices of thousands of local residents, businesses and organisations have not been listened to. This scheme will permanently and detrimentally impact the landscape of a vast part of West Suffolk and remove thousands of acres of land from food production.
“Despite some improvements to the initial application, we felt that the proposals did not meet the standards we, and local communities, would expect from a project on this scale.
“Local residents will quite rightly be asking what it takes for a project to be refused, when the worst project we have dealt with gets consented in the face of so much opposition.”
“Intense scrutiny”
According to Sunnica, the solar farm could power 172,000 homes and create 1,500 jobs during construction, with 27 full-time jobs to run it.
The company also said the land used would be decontaminated and returned to its original, largely agricultural, use once the scheme was finished.
A Sunnica spokesperson said: “This important milestone and the decision by the secretary of state has come after many months of intense scrutiny and robust engagement with the planning process, and wider public consultations.
“We will now move forward towards the implementation phase, ultimately allowing us to create clean renewable energy for the UK, and look forward to meeting with local authorities and the wider community to plan the next steps.”
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