On a sunny July evening, I joined a group of about fifty people gathered in a classic Essex boarded barn on Tawney Common in Stapleford Tawney. It would have been lovely to cross over the road and have a cooling drink in the Dog House pub (formerly the Mole Trap) but, although friendly, this meeting was about the future of the landscape around the pub and village.
A proposal to build a large solar farm (the Thrift Solar Farm) and battery energy storage system (BESS) on agricultural land surrounding the Dog House has dismayed local people, who are fiercely protective of this rolling piece of classic Essex countryside, which forms an important part of the greenbelt which offers a green lung between London and Essex.
Although the developers are describing the land vaguely as ‘greybelt’ – a non-specific definition which seems to have been adopted by the Labour Government to describe greenbelt land in Conservative-held constituencies – the local residents I spoke to say it is good agricultural land, with views and amenity which are part of the heritage assets and scheduled monuments within the Tawney Common area.
The very well organised committee of residents told me they believe there is no ‘overwhelming need’ to hand over greenbelt land to build this solar farm, it will impact badly on the greenbelt and local much loved common land, and will be costly to connect to the grid.
I am happy to support the residents in bringing their concerns to the attention of the local planners, and to ensure the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, and Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband are aware of the strength of feeling against the Government’s piecemeal approach to renewable energy and net zero policies.
