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Solar plans refused on Twyford farmland

May 22, 2012

Plans to install hundreds of solar panels on farmland have been refused over concerns that their appearance would have a negative impact on the countryside.

Sheeplands Farm in Twyford Road, Wargrave, had applied to place 208 photovoltaic panels on 630 square metres of land.

Two 105 metre rows of 1.5 metre high panels were proposed to be placed in a field to the south west of the farm.

Wokingham Borough Council’s planning department refused permission last month, declaring the plans an inappropriate development that is detrimental to the open character of the green belt.

The panels would have generated renewable electricity for the farm, easing its electricity bill, as well as being exported to the grid.

The application believed the proposed installation would have very little visual impact, stressing they were static with no moving parts.

The borough council officer’s report disagreed, however, stating the panels would be placed on a visually prominent part of site, appearing obtrusive and creating an alien, incongruous feature on an otherwise undeveloped agricultural field.

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Most recent user comments 6 of 6

Classic idiotic small minded backward looking decision, typical of the automatically anti-change mindset that still seems to be predominant amongst older Wokingham types.

Asif Ganesh
23/05/2012 at 10:45

I'm not so sure it's a bad decision. By all means cover buildings with panels, but useable farmland should be for growing food.

N Tropy
23/05/2012 at 10:10

Idiot decision really.

People are desperately trying to create a renewable energy future only to be shot down by red tape and silly Councillor decisions.

lazy days
22/05/2012 at 20:09

Staggering, the world of the councillor's mind. A little bit of power gone mad. The council has judged solar to be ugly and so stopped clean energy, brilliant. They should know that death is much uglier than solar and that is where this world is right now, people are suffering and dying because of oil, coal and gas. The more solar, the less suffering, it is really not a difficult concept. When man is safe and our children are safe, then we can be as vane as we like.

G H
22/05/2012 at 17:29

I don't know the specific place, but much of the Twyford farm area seems to be coverd in polytunnels, which are no works of art. But would they still want the panels without the subsidy?