I've received a letter from Teignbridge District Council informing me that:

The [Fulford Solar Park] application will be considered by our Planning Committee on Monday 26 November 2012 in the Council Chamber, Forde House, Newton Abbot starting at 9:45 am.

More on Teignbridge To Debate the Tedburn Solar Farm (Again!)

Much earlier today I dropped Kasia off at Bristol Airport, en route to Warsaw. As I was walking back to the car park, it suddenly struck me that I'd had a request for advice concerning the planning application for a large scale solar PV park near Bristol Airport.  Since it was a beautifully crisp clear morning, and I had my smartphone on me, I thought I'd take a short detour on my way back to Devon, and take a few pictures of the site in question.  I fired up my very own map of the area on my phone, and zoomed in. That revealed a public footpath across the site, so I wandered off along that in the direction of Garleys Wood, snapping as I went.

More on A Variety of Views on the Impact of the Garleys Wood Solar Park

It has just come to my attention that a couple of weeks ago Westmill Solar Park near Watchfield in Wiltshire was finally acquired by a local co-operative. According to their press release:

More on Westmill Solar Farm Acquired By Local Cooperative

Chinese solar photovoltaic module manufacturer China Sunergy announced last week that it had:

Completed the transactions to procure its first two solar park projects in the United Kingdom (UK). The two solar parks with a size of about 5 MW each are located in the southwest of Cornwall region. China Sunergy will arrange the construction of the projects, and then own and operate these two solar parks itself.

China Sunergy were rather coy about which two solar farms they had purchased, but according to the BBC the sites involved are Higher Tregarne near Falmouth and Causilgey Farm near Truro. German solar PV developer AEE Renewables originally obtained planning permission from Cornwall County Council to build the two 5 MW sites.

More on China Sunergy Acquires Two Cornish Solar Parks

Teignbridge District Council have now made their decision on Solar Power Generation's request for a screening opinion concerning a proposed 14 MW solar farm on land at the Ashcombe Estate in the Haldon Hills.  Unlike other recent requests for such opinions, in this case Teignbridge have decided that an Environmental Impact Assessment WILL be required.  They state their reasons for that decision as follows:

More on EIA Required for Ashcombe Estate Solar PV Farm

As we reported recently, Lightsource Renewable Energy have applied for planning permission to build a 10.7 MW solar PV park on a 54 acre site just south of Exeter. Now:

A group of local people who are enthusiasts for renewable energy

have set up a web site with the aim of:

More on Bowhay Solar Farm Locals Launch Information Web Site

Following their community consultation back in June, Lightsource Renewable Energy have just applied to Teignbridge District Council for planning permission for the:

Construction and operation of a 10.7MW Solar Photovoltaic Farm, including ancillary buildings and security system

The application form states they propose to do this on 54 acres of land at Bowhay Farm, Shillingford Abbot. Whilst this may be correct as far as the Royal Mail are concerned, we locals know that the land in question is actually closer to Dunchideock than Shillingford. In fact if I jump up and down at the top of my garden I can just about make out the far corner of the site. If I then walk up to the top of the hill I get an extremely good view of it. Whilst these views are very familiar to me, it seems that the planners at Lightsource are unfamiliar with them, since neither appears in their Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment document.

More on Lightsource Seek Permission for a 10.7 MW Solar PV Farm Near Dunchideock

South Hams District Council have approved plans for what the Design and Access Statement refers to as

A 5 megawatt solar PV farm on 13.24 hectares of grade 3 agricultural land

at Hatchlands Farm between Harberton and South Brent. This site is literally just down the road from the 8 MW solar PV park at Marley Thatch Farm that was approved by South Hams earlier this year.  Here's what the area between South Brent and Totnes currently looks like on our interactive map and list of large scale solar PV projects in South West England:

More on South Hams DC Approves 5 MW Solar Park at Hatchlands Farm near Harberton

I was recently asked if I could provide "any advice to object to [a] proposed solar farm". The solar farm in question is being proposed by Lightsource Renewable Energy on an 11.6 acre site at Higher Knapp Farm near Taunton. The Design and Access Statement provided as part of the planning application states that:

More on Lightsource Seek Permission for a 1.8 MW Solar PV Farm Near Taunton

On July 9th Teignbridge District Council planning committee voted to refuse planning permission for the 40 acre Fulford Solar Park at Gold's Cross Hill near Tedburn St. Mary. In a not entirely unexpected turn of events the developer of that project, Inazin Solar, have now appealed against that decision. Not only that, but they have also simultaneously applied for planning permission for a remarkably similar new project, together with the requisite screening opinion. Consequently there are now three new entries on our interactive map and list of large scale solar PV projects in South West England, all at the same location!

More on Inazin Appeal Tedburn St Mary Solar Farm Planning Decision