Another huge solar farm proposed next to the council one at Grazeley

Plans for another large solar farm near Grazeley are looming.

The applicants have lodged a screening request to West Berkshire Council to see whether an environmental impact assessment is needed for the 210 acre agricultural site north of Goring Lane.

It is on a plot of land next to the council’s own proposed solar farm at Bloomfield Hatch, which will have more than 57,000 panels.

That proposal is being funded by West Berkshire Council as it believes the £19m investment will bring cash back to the district despite £2m a year running costs.

It was originally costed at £10m when approved a few years back, despite numerous objections from locals and the parish council.

Many felt the density and number of the panels would ruin the rural nature of the area.

Part of the new proposed area is next to The Old Bell. No objections are yet with the council as it has just been listed.

The applicant, One Planet Developments, is asking whether a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be required for the proposed solar farm.

The screening is to decide whether the scale/likely impacts are such that detailed assessment under EIA is needed.

There are established local concerns about the council’s Grazeley solar proposals that are likely to resurface if a full application follows.

Loss of agricultural land/food security is one. Wokefield Parish Council previously argued the land should remain in food production.

Mitigation proposals the council has highlighted for the project include biodiversity measures and potential sheep grazing beneath panels.

Local people have pointed out that farms in the area are productive.

The scheme includes proposals to plant wildflower meadows, seed for winter birds, bird and bat boxes, and additional tree and hedge planting.

But there remain concerns about visual impact on the rural character, loss of hedgerows or landscape setting, glint/glare, and down‐stream effects (drainage etc). These are not yet formal objections in the screening stage.

Some argue that the threat of climate change outweighs the loss of farmland; others say food production is being sacrificed prematurely.