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We are delighted that plans for 29,000 solar panels on open fields at Forty Green, near Bledlow in Bucks, have been rejected by Wycombe District Councillors.
The panels, with a substation and a variety of buildings, would have smothered 45 acres at the foot of the Chiltern escarpment. The campaign against the proposal was led by our member the Solar Park Action Group. The OSS, Bledlow Parish Council, the Chilterns Conservation Board, the Environment Agency, the Ramblers and over 400 individuals also objected. The applicant was Hive Energy.
Wycombe District Council rejected this damaging development because it would have had ‘an unacceptable impact on the tranquil, intimate and historic local landscape character’ with ‘an unacceptable visual impact within the landscape’.
We are highly relieved that this solar factory in open countryside has been roundly condemned by the council. It would have been highly visible from far and wide, especially from the Chiltern escarpment. It was to be right on the edge of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It would have ruined people’s enjoyment of the nearby Phoenix Trail, an immensely popular, easy route for walkers, riders and cyclists, as well as affecting a number of nearby public footpaths.
We congratulate everyone who campaigned against this pernicious scheme and are delighted that our efforts have been rewarded.