Tourist attraction owner asks for further impact assessments on solar farm

Wednesday, 17 August 2022 12:03

Following the proposed plans for a 200 acre solar farm near Exton, the owner of a local tourist attraction has asked for the environmental impact assessment to be widened to beyond just the planned solar fields.

The owner of one of Rutland biggest tourist attractions has said that allowing a 200-acre solar farm to surround his site would spell the end of nearly 40 years of work.

Nick Hamilton runs Barnsdale Gardens in Exton and says that having the proposed solar farm, which is currently in the planning stage, could spell the end to his business. He is calling for the environmental assessment of the proposal to go further than it does now:

“There is an environmental impact assessment that has to be carried out on the fields that they are [proposing]” says Nick, “but as far as I am concerned, the environmental impact should go beyond that to the areas that are surrounding them as well.”

Exton Energy has proposed a ~50MegaWatt solar farm installation with battery storage, covering some 200 acres near Exton Lane. The community consultation period runs until the 4^th September. To learn more, click here: Exton Solar Farm (extonenergy.com)

In other news:

A lorry, a static caravan, a warehouse, and several shipping containers were damaged by a fire on Stamford Road in Lound yesterday. Eight fire crews helped to bring the fire under control and the road was closed for much of the day.

Police in Bourne are investigating how a woman came to be lying next to her mobility scooter with a bleed on the brain, in the early hours of Monday morning. Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of GBH and are asking for photographic or video footage of the area to be shared with them.

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