Devon CPRE Opposes North Tawton Solar Farm Proposal
Devon CPRE has opposed plans for a solar farm on about 30 acres of arable land south of Arla Foods’ Taw Valley Creamery near North Tawton. The application was submitted by SSE Energy in partnership with Arla Foods and is the third proposal for a solar installation at the site; two earlier applications were refused.
The project would contain 9,464 photovoltaic panels, as well as inverters, transformers, cabling, CCTV, access tracks, perimeter fencing and landscaping. The electricity would be supplied to the adjacent Arla plant. The creamery’s proximity and the availability of what the application describes as an efficient grid connection form part of the applicant’s case for choosing the location.
More than 90% of the proposed site is classified as Best and Most Versatile agricultural land. The land comprises 79.2% Grade 2 and 11.4% Grade 3a agricultural soil. The applicant’s land, soil and management documents acknowledge that the scheme is not fully consistent with local and national planning guidance on the use of such land.
An alternative-site assessment considered locations within roughly three kilometres of the creamery. Devon CPRE said that several of the sites examined contain lower-grade farmland, including Grade 4 land. Another identified location includes a combination of Grade 2 and Grade 4 land.
Penny Mills, Devon CPRE’s director, said that food security was becoming a major issue and that high-quality farmland should not be used to generate what she described as a negligible amount of electricity, mainly during daylight hours in summer. She said the grid connection should not determine the outcome because the use of Best and Most Versatile land could be avoided. Mills added that lower-quality sites could accommodate the project through design changes, mitigation or different connection arrangements. She said Devon CPRE stood with residents and the town council in opposing the application, concluding: “No should mean no!”
West Devon Borough Council is considering the application, registered under reference 2103/26/FUL, and a decision remains pending. Residents and other interested parties can review the plans and submit comments through the council’s planning portal before the consultation closes on 17 September.
