Concerns over Cornwall being ‘sold off’ after solar farm approved

A Cornwall farmer claims the county is being “sold off” in a bid to hit net zero after plans for a 125,000-panel solar farm were approved.

The scheme, near the A30 at Carland Cross, was turned down last year by Cornwall Council, but has since been approved by national inspectors after an appeal by the developers.

Campaigner Marie Wills said she tried for years to overturn the solar application, and said she felt “the government are trying to sell Cornwall off just to hit net zero”.

Downing Renewable Developments (DRD) said the the site would include sheep grazing and biodiversity improvements, as well as free solar panels for roofs of neighbouring people.

Rosalyn Kirby heard arguments for and against the solar farm on 80 hectares (200 acres) of agricultural land between Mitchell, Trispen, St Erme and Carland Cross.

Ms Kirby concluded harm to the character and appearance of the area, and conflict with the development plan, was “outweighed by the benefits of the proposal”.

Ms Wills, who has a family-farm adjacent to the site, is part of the Carland Action group.

She said: “I call this the Mother of All Solar Farms because of all the policies it had against it.

“I think the floodgates will open and more and more land will be put into solar.”

Ms Wills said it was becoming “impossible” for farming families to purchase land “because of the price of land increasing due to these solar farms”.

She added: “The amount that the developers are paying, I cannot see how they will decrease the cost of electricity.”

Owner DRD said the Fair Park development would operate as a solar farm for 30 years, delivering up to 49.9MW of solar energy.

It said its plans would include new hedgerows, wildflower meadows, and habitat improvements which would go beyond statutory planning requirements.

Tony Gannon, of DRD, said the project would make a “valuable contribution to helping meet both national and Cornwall net zero targets”.

“It also delivers a significant community benefit programme which provides those closest to the development with lower cost energy through our free domestic solar rooftop initiative,” he said.