Tedburn St Mary Council Opposes Goldscross Hill Solar Farm

Councillors on the Teignbridge District planning committee have recently received the agenda of a meeting to be held on July 9th. The agenda points out that the the meeting is open to the public, and the "public access statement" therein states that:

There is an opportunity for members of the public to speak on planning applications at this meeting. Please contact Trish Corns by 12 Noon on Thursday 5 June 2012 at the very latest.

One controversial item under discussion by the committee will be:

TEDBURN ST MARY – 12/00781/MAJ – Land south of Goldcross Hill – Solar Farm.

The report to the committee on the planning application for the Goldscross Hill solar farm from the Service Manager (Development Management) advises them that:

PERMISSION BE GRANTED subject to the following conditions:

1. Development to commence within three years……..

However not everyone agrees with that conclusion. In particular Tedburn St. Mary Parish Council, having taken advice from their Solar Farms Working Group, not to mention some local residents, say instead in a letter to the committee that it:

STRONGLY OBJECTS to this application for the following reasons:

1. The size of the development has altered to the initial consultation and is felt to be too large
2. The development would cause a huge amount of visual damage to an area of outstanding landscape value
3. There is construction of commercial buildings on agricultural land
4. There is construction of c.c.t.v towers to a height of 6 metres which is not acceptable
5. The size and location of the many photo-voltaic panels would cause a distraction to drivers on the A30 dual carriageway which would pose a major accident hazard.

It sounds as though the meeting on 9th July, which is scheduled for 9:45 AM in the Council Chambers at Forde House in Newton Abbot, may well be the scene of some heated debate!

Note once again that "there is an opportunity for members of the public to speak" as long as you inform Teignbridge of your intention to do so by noon on Thursday.