'Heathrow-sized' solar farm application withdrawn

An application for a solar farm likened to the size of Heathrow Airport by campaigners has been withdrawn.

Kingsway Solar Farm was set to cover more than 3,000 acres of farmland in East and South Cambridgeshire, and hoped to power up to 175,000 homes.

But residents feared it could "envelop" the villages of Balsham, West Wratting, Weston Colville and Weston Green, while local councils were concerned about the consultation, with one stating engagement had "been largely procedural and one-directional".

Kingsway Solar Farm Limited sent a letter to the Planning Inspectorate giving it formal notification it was withdrawing the application, but in a statement said it intended to resubmit it.

The statement said: "Kingsway Solar Farm Limited remains determined to deliver the best possible project which considers all the potential impacts as effectively as possible.

"We intend to work with the Planning Inspectorate and key stakeholders to understand and address key issues and information requirements, in order to bring forward the strongest possible proposals for this critical national project."

It had been classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), meaning Energy Secretary Ed Miliband would have had the final say.

But Stephen Kelly, planning director at South Cambridgeshire, had told the Planning Inspectorate the authority said consultation documentation "made it difficult to develop a clear and comprehensive understanding of the likely significant effects".

He claimed agendas and meeting notes were "often provided at very short notice or retrospectively", and that environmental and technical information "was not shared at key stages".

Nick Acklam, a parish councillor in Reach, where the concern was about pylons as well as the impact on two Anglo Saxon dykes, previously told the BBC there has been a "fundamental failure to listen to or respond to our concerns".

"We raised concerns, we raised questions, we offered alternatives and we offered to participate in coming up with a better way of going forward," he said.

"We didn't even have an acknowledgement to our letter."

David Vernon, from Kingsway Solar Farm Ltd, said it was a project "designed to address national need for home grown, affordable, clean and reliable energy".

He said it was "committed to addressing any outstanding issues and strengthen our proposals".

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