Plans for one of Europe’s largest solar farms, a £600 million project by energy company Sunnica spanning approximately 2,500 acres across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, have garnered responses from 72 individuals, businesses, and councils. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero aims to decide on the fate of the project by 7 March, following concerns raised during the public consultation.
A significant portion of the responses expressed objections, with many citing worries about the potential impact on stone curlew birds. The objections followed official feedback from Natural England and Sunnica to the government, focusing on landscape effects and the Breckland Special Protection Area.
Sally Hughes, the clerk at Chippenham Parish Council in Cambridgeshire, voiced concerns, stating, “this scheme is too big and in the wrong location.” West Suffolk’s independent MP, Matt Hancock, and Conservative MP for South East Cambridgeshire, Lucy Frazer, jointly penned a letter to Secretary of State Claire Coutinho, criticizing “inconsistencies” in Sunnica’s soil assessment and expressing concerns about potential harm to the horseracing industry in nearby Newmarket.
In a collective letter, Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Suffolk County Council, and West Suffolk Council welcomed some recent mitigation efforts from Sunnica but stressed that more work was needed. They deemed the proposals for the overall project unacceptable.
Sunnica, however, emphasized the positive aspects of the solar farm, asserting its capability to power 172,000 homes and generate 1,500 jobs during construction, with an additional 27 full-time jobs for operational purposes. The proposed sites include Sunnica East site A near West Row and Mildenhall, Sunnica East site B south of the village of Worlington, and Sunnica West site A near Newmarket north of the A14.
The company asserted a projected lifespan of 40 years for the farm, after which the land would be decontaminated and restored to its original agricultural use. Dr. Jethro Gauld, chairman of the East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network group, expressed hope for the project’s approval despite community concerns, emphasizing the urgent need for energy security and decarbonization.
The BBC reached out to Sunnica for comment, seeking their perspective on the ongoing controversy surrounding the solar farm proposal.