Devon CPRE backs Marsh Green residents as they fight solar farm developer at a public inquiry

The small rural community of Marsh Green in East Devon will be taking on the might of a solar farm developer, with the backing of the Devon branch of the countryside charity CPRE, at a public inquiry scheduled to start on Tuesday 12 September.

East Devon’s planning committee refused permission last December for a 30MW solar farm of 60,000 solar panels on 218 acres of land across 27 fields at Marsh Green after councillors voted against their own officer's recommendation. Their decision followed a two-hour debate and a site visit, during which the proposed construction area was found to be waterlogged - a fact that backed up the residents’ argument that the land floods and is not suitable for such a development.

Considering this and other factors, including concerns over visual impact, land classification and impact on a designated heritage asset, councillors voted 6:4 against the scheme (with one abstention). The decision was greeted as a victory for democracy and common sense by the scheme’s opponents, including residents in and around Marsh Green who had fought hard to make their concerns known.

Now the Marsh Green Valley Protection Group has another battle on its hands; the local community launched a Crowdfunding campaign to raise a £20,000 ‘war chest’ to pay for the legal costs of fighting the developer’s planning appeal, set to be heard at the offices of East Devon District Council from next week.

Cllr Todd Olive (Lib Dem, Whimple & Rockbeare ward), who is supporting residents as an expert witness on planning matters, says, “It will be the appellant, Low Carbon Alliance, versus EDDC and residents in Marsh Green, who - acting on my advice as their ward member - applied for Rule 6 status. This allows us to present our own evidence, which the appellant wasn’t happy about and tried to get revoked. However, we heard this week that the inspector is allowing us to participate in the public inquiry from next Tuesday, and our barrister will put up the best possible case for the application to be refused. We’ll be fighting hard to make sure the democratic voice of residents is properly heard – and respected.

“It is an uphill battle for us. EDDC has dropped a couple of the reasons for last year’s refusal that the planning committee no longer felt were defensible, which is unfortunate. Impact on the landscape and heritage are the two main prongs of attack EDDC is pursuing. We are contributing quite substantial evidence on the landscape front and are continuing to pursue issues relating to flooding and concerns about bringing HGVs down tiny Devon lanes. The other point of contention that we are defending is the issue of agricultural land, because we’ve received expert advice that the assessment the appellant had done is not worth the paper it’s written on. The outcome is not guaranteed by any means.” 

Devon CPRE Director Penny Mills says, “Devon CPRE’s ‘Grass not Glass’ campaign opposes industrial-scale solar farms like the one proposed at Marsh Green because so much of Devon’s farmland has been lost to these developments already, and we believe farmland is put to much better use producing food. 

“The Marsh Green application was turned down for the right reasons by East Devon’s planning committee last year, and we hope the inspector will respect the wishes of the local community this time around too. Residents have clearly said ‘No, we don’t want this’. Will their voices be heard by the inspector or will the wishes of yet another small rural community be ignored? It’s a matter of democracy.” 

All eyes are now on the Marsh Green outcome, particularly as solar farm developments have recently been permitted elsewhere in the east of the county, at Whimple and Clyst Hydon. Another is pending at Aylesbeare. Similar applications continue to come thick and fast across Devon and the wider South West.