The motion has been submitted by Conservative Councillors Phil Alford and Nick Botterill and states that the council is “increasingly concerned at the concentration of solar farms, battery storage and associated infrastructure in Wiltshire.”According to the councillors, some villages in the county are now “completely surrounded” by solar farms. Micheal Gove will be asked to define more closely what is meant by “cumulative impact” regarding solar farms and to take clear steps to ensure that solar developments are more “evenly spread” across the country. There are over 40 operational solar farms in the county and numerous others under construction or going through the planning process. In November 2023, a campaign group called upon Wiltshire Council to pause such developments, claiming that the county was "the capital of solar energy farms with the largest concentration of solar farms anywhere in the UK". Councillors Phil Alford and Nick Botterill, Cabinet Members for and Housing and Strategic Planning will present their motion to councillors at the meeting.

Source: The Times May 15, 2024 06:59 UTC