Councillors back Bluebell Wood solar farm near Rode

Low Carbon UK Solar Investment put forward proposals in November 2023 for a new solar farm on the B3109 Bradford Road near the village of Rode, a few miles north-east of Frome.

The solar farm (dubbed ‘Bluebell Wood’) could provide enough power for one-third of all homes in the former Mendip area, or around six per cent of all properties in Somerset.

The council’s planning committee east voted to defer a decision on the proposals in early-May to allow for a site visit, after concerns were raised about the safety of access routes into the site.

The committee has now granted permission for the new solar farm after these concerns were assuaged – with the new Labour government promising to push for greater financial contributions to communities which host solar farms.

The Bluebell Wood solar farm site lies to the north east of the village on agricultural land bordered by Bradford Road to the north and by Monkley Lane and Polar Tree Lane to the east.

The new solar panels will be a short distance from the Church Farm housing development at the village’s southern edge, and a short drive from the neighbouring town of Trowbridge.

The solar farm will be able to generate nearly 50MW of energy, with a battery energy storage facility being installed on site to store the energy during times of low demand and sell it back to the National Grid at peak times.

The developer claims the 74.33-hectare site (nearly 184 acres) will have sufficient capacity to power 16,000 homes – the equivalent of half the population of Frome.

The solar farm and battery storage site will be operational for 40 years – after which time the land will be returned to agricultural use.

Since the plans were previously considered, the developer has amended the proposals so that the narrow Monkley Lane will no longer be used for construction traffic, following concerns about road safety and whether emergency vehicles could access the site in the event of a fire.

Shaun Freeman, who lives on Monkley Lane, addressed the committee when it met in Shepton Mallet on July 11 to discuss the plans.

He said: “The revised plans disrespect and ignore our requests. The footprint is still two-and-a-half times that of the village.

“The location of the battery storage site is unsafe, being too close to the houses on Monkley Lane.

“To grant permission in these circumstances would be reckless.”

Mary Comley, from the Mendip Byways and Bridleways Association, said the plans represented an improvement but did not go far enough regarding the access arrangements, both during and after construction.

She said: “We’re very relieved to learn that common sense has prevailed and Monkley Lane will not be used during the construction phase of the solar site.

“However, we’re still very concerned that the access road within the site is planned to be only a temporary measure. 40 years is a very long time to assume that nothing major will go wrong with any of this kit.”

Andy Fussell, who runs the Rode Hill Fishery and owns much of the affected land, said he welcomed the proposals.

He told the committee: “I’m constantly encouraged as a farmer to diversify – this seems to be encouraged by central and local government to create a sustainable future for our industry.

“Creating solar energy is encouraged, promoted and supported nationally to protect the environment and society.

“There will be a 50 per cent biodiversity net gain on this site, with dual usage being achieved through the grazing of sheep.

“Much of the land is unworkable, especially when wet, resulting on poor yields even when it’s been drained.”

Somerset Council and its predecessors have approved numerous new solar farms in the last two years – including one on the B3098 Lodge Hill, to the east of Frome, in October 2022.

Councillor Dawn Denton (whose Frome North division includes the site) said: “On a site visit yesterday [July 10], we got to see the development from slightly higher land.

“Once we stood from a height, we struggled to see the allocated fields with all the trees and hedgerows, which will of course remain and more will be planted.

“We have to decide whether we in Somerset are trailblazers in the field of green energy and an example of what we can be achieved on our quest towards net zero, or whether we are jumping the gun.”

Councill Martin Dimery (Frome West) said: “We have new buildings going up which don’t have enough electricity supplied by the National Grid to sustain them. If we want to have air source heating pumps, we’ve got to have more electricity.

“I think I might be persuaded that this isn’t the best, more suitable farming land, and this particular project would probably be viable in that respect.”

Councillor Philip Ham (Mendip Central and East) added: “To me, the benefits of this outweigh the harm.

“We’re talking about clean, green energy for 16,000 homes. Ninety per cent of this land is poor quality land, which results in failing crops and a lot more CO2 emissions.”

After more than 90 minutes’ debate, the committee voted to approve the plans by six votes to one, with one abstention.

This decision comes after Ed Miliband MP, the new energy security and net zero secretary, confirmed the new Labour government would be pushing for wider financial benefits for communities which hosted ground-based solar farms.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he said: “The previous government had a whole series of consultations out on community benefit.

“We will respond to those, but I want to be very clear that I believe that when a community takes on the responsibility of hosting clean energy infrastructure, it should benefit from it.”

Sarah Dyke, MP for the neighbouring Glastonbury and Somerton constituency, welcomed this statement, saying: “It’s important that local communities that play host to ground-mounted solar farms experience the benefits of de-carbonisation.

“Having already written to the secretary of state about this issue, I took the earliest opportunity to raise it with him in the chamber.

“His response was very promising and I look forward to working constructively with him on the implementation of my proposal.”