Residents' fears over solar farm plan 'bigger than our village'

That’s the fear of residents of Staining, who are being backed by Fylde MP Andrew Snowden in objecting to the proposal submitted to Fylde Council for the solar farm which local County Councillor John Singleton fears, if it goes ahead, will be bigger than the village itself.

The plan by a company called Boom Developments is for the installation of a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic farm with export capacity of 40 megawatts, battery energy storage system with import/export capacity of 40megawatts and associated ancillary equipment such as inverters, access tracks, fencing and CCTV.

The proposal, for land to the east of Staining, south of Hardhorn, accessed from Smithy Lane, also details improvements to existing agricultural access points on Smith Lane and access improvements to Smithy Lane as well as landscaping biodiversity enhancements.

A group of residents have set up a Facebook page – Against Staining Solar Farm – in objecting to the plan and Mr Snowden and County Councillor Singleton have been out in the village rallying further support against the proposal as well as lodging their own objections.

Mr Snowden said: “I have looked closely at Boom Power’s proposals for a large solar farm between Staining and Poulton and I firmly believe this application should be opposed.

“Locally, there are serious concerns about the impact of unsustainable HGV traffic on Smithy Lane and the lack of a clear plan for what happens to the site at the end of the proposed 40-year lifespan.

“More widely, I believe covering large areas of productive farmland with solar panels is the wrong approach. At a time when the world is increasingly unstable, protecting Britain’s food security must be a priority, and that means using prime agricultural land to produce food, not taking it out of production.

“There are also broader concerns about the growing reliance on intermittent power sources which depend on the weather, and the impact that can have on the stability of our national energy system.

“For those reasons I will be submitting an objection to this application. I would also strongly encourage local residents to make their voices heard as part of the consultation.”

County Coun Singleton said: “I’ve objected to five aspects of the plan. The scale of this solar farm plan, although not in the centre of the village, is that it is bigger than the village itself and another key concern is that the road it is planned to come in on, Smithy Lane, is a flood zone.

"I have asked the lead flood authority for a report on drainage and I also want details of any alterative routes being considered. We understand vehicles serving the solar farm won’t be going through the centre of the village but such traffic will still be very disruptive.”

A spokesperson for the group of residents who have set up the Facebook page said: “This is not temporary. This is a generational change to the landscape.

"We are not against renewable energy, but developments of this scale must be in the right place.

“The proposal has a 40-year operational lifespan, yet no detailed, secured decommissioning or land restoration guarantees have been published, nor clarity on financial bonds or long-term liability if the operator ceases to exist.

"Staining is a small village built around narrow lanes and rural roads. It was never designed for industrial-scale traffic or 40 years of infrastructure.

“If you value the safety, character and future of our village, now is the time to speak up.”

The deadline for comments on the plan is April 17 and comments can be made via pa.fylde.gov.uk/Planning/Display/26/0023 or by emailing [email protected].

Boom Developments were approached for a comment.