A CONSULTATION into a proposed solar park near Malmesbury has revealed that almost 90 per cent of people are opposed to plans for the site.

A summary of a first-stage community consultation into Lime Down Solar Park has been published by Island Green Power, the developer putting forward proposals for the facility.

In response, campaign group Stop Lime Down said that most local people’s opposition to the proposed site - which covers areas around Hullavington, Corston, Foxley and Sherston - was ‘abundantly clear’.

The Lime Down project is proposed to be built across five sites, including around 900 hectares.

It would involve the installation of solar photovoltaic panels and an on-site battery energy storage facility, as well as an underground cable connection into the national grid at Melksham.

The community consultation took place between March and April this year.

The IGP summary showed that in response to the consultation question ‘What is your view of our proposals for Lime Down Solar Park at this early stage in the development process?’, 88 per cent of those surveyed said they did not support the plans.

8 per cent of respondents were supportive, while 3 per cent said they needed more information to form an opinion. 1 per cent of those surveyed were neutral.

According to the summary report, 752 paper and online feedback forms, 539 emails and 35 letters were received amid the consultation process.

79 per cent of feedback came from people identifying themselves as local residents.

The aspect of the project that was most important to respondents was ‘landscape and visual’.

A common topic within comments was the solar park’s planned size, with the report noting that “concerns were raised that this could result in the loss of visual amenity of countryside views”.

Respondents expressed concern about the project affecting the setting of the Cotswold National Landscape, about how sites will impact the views and character of the local landscape and about the visual effect of the proposed battery storage site on the villages of Shaw and Whitley.

“We are undertaking a full Environmental Impact Assessment which will include a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment,” the report said.

“The LVIA will specifically assess the impacts on the Cotswold National Landscape as well as on the character of the landscape and visual amenity of identified receptors within the Study Area.

“A Residential Visual Amenity Assessment will also be undertaken to assess views from neighbouring properties where significant residual effects are identified.

“Through the course of the iterative design process, the team will continue to look for opportunities to reduce and mitigate the visual impact of the project.”

The report added: “The Outline Landscape and Ecological Mitigation Plan that will be presented in the Development Consent Order Application will seek to increase the green infrastructure within the site and, where possible, link up ecological networks.

“This includes the creation of new native woodland blocks and belts, planting new native hedgerows, reinforcing existing boundary hedgerows, new native tree planting and new areas of wildflower and grassland for ecological mitigation.”

The report also highlighted how 44 extra hectares of land has been made available to the design process, presenting an opportunity to move solar infrastructure away from ‘sensitive areas and receptors’ like the Cotswold National Landscape and heritage assets close by.

Will Threlfall, senior project development manager for Lime Down Solar Park, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has given their time and feedback to the Lime Down Solar Park team during our stage-one consultation.

“It has been invaluable to hear directly from the local community on our proposals including what must be prioritised in our designs.

“We now have a better understanding of what is important from a landscape, nature and community perspective that will be addressed as we refine our plans.

“Consultation is critical to our design process, and going forward, we will continue to listen to the local community, stakeholders and key organisations as we develop proposals for Lime Down Solar Park.”

A spokesperson for Stop Lime Down said: “It’s hard to understand the point of the latest IGP report on its Lime Down project.

“It is abundantly clear that the vast majority of local people are opposed to the development, which will have very serious repercussions for the region’s natural environment.

“Yet Lime Down continues to present its opportunistic scheme as a fait accompli.

“If IGP and its Australian controllers are as committed to tackling the climate crisis as they say they are, their time and resources could and should be spent on exploring the more viable opportunities that are favoured elsewhere in Europe.

“Let’s work together to harness the potential of residential and commercial property and brownfield sites before intensifying this devastating and irreversible attack on rural communities throughout Britain.”