Campaigners celebrate after solar farm rejected
Kate PittelA local campaigner has said she is "overjoyed" after plans to construct a solar farm next to a Warwickshire village have been rejected.
Kate Pittel led the drive against the proposed 212-acre site to the west of Fosse Way, near Radford Semele.
The plans sparked significant pushback from residents with more than 300 objections, including a petition signed by more than 1,200 people.
Councillors at Warwick District Council voted eight to one to reject the plans at a meeting on Tuesday evening as the impact to the landscape outweighed the benefits of the source of renewable energy.
Recurrent Energy, who were behind the project, said the site would generate enough renewable energy to power about 20,651 homes and save 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
However, the number of other solar farms in close proximity to the planned site led the councillors to acknowledge the "cumulative impact".
Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington, Radford Semele Parish Council and landscape professionals from Warwickshire County Council also objected to the plans.
In addition to the "cumulative impact", they added that the plans would also lead to landscape harm, the loss of good quality agricultural land and open space.
"There was an awful lot of opposition to it," Ms Pittel said.
'Site would have dominated village'
In a statement on social media, Western said the site would have "dominated" the nearby village, but added that he "cared deeply" about green energy.
He suggested onshore wind sites could be used as a renewable source in Warwickshire instead.
Ms Pittel said she was "very hopeful" the rejection would not be overturned if it were to be appealed as local policy "protected against the cumulative impacts" that resulted "from all the other developments here".
She added that the impacts "can't be mitigated" as a result of the neighbouring sites.
Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.