Rally against solar farms planned for Lincoln city centre

Campaign groups and local leaders will meet in Lincoln on Saturday (March 15) at 11am.

The event will take place in the Cornhill Quarter as campaign groups continue to fight against the applications.

The event has been organised by Springwell Solar Action Group and other groups, and mayoral candidates Andrea Jenkyns (Ref) and Marianne Overton (Ind) have confirmed they will be attending.

Participants are protesting what they see as a deluge of applications for large solar farms, many of which are on agricultural land.

They say that more than 34,000 acres has been or could be turned over to solar farms, battery storage facilities and sub-stations.

West Lindsey and North Kesteven have been particularly affected due to their flat farmland and proximity to existing grid connections, with local leaders expressing strong concern.

The list of applications include:

• Tillbridge Solar – 3,500 acres

• Fosse Green – 2,400 acres

• Springwell – 4,200 acres

• Beacon Fen – 1,300 acres

• Leoda Solar Farm – 2,400 acres

The Mallard Pass, Heckington Fen, Cottam Solar, Gate Burton and West Burton projects have already received approval in the last year.

Due to their size, they are often designated Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, and are decided by the government rather than local councils.

Reform candidate Andrea Jenkyns says on her website: “Lincolnshire’s countryside is under threat. Vast swathes of productive farmland — over 30,000 acres — are being lost to industrial-scale solar developments clustering around our villages and communities.”

Independent Marianne Overton says: “The panels are wasteful, locking up good working farmland for a lifetime, while an estimated 630,000 acres of commercial roofs and buildings lie vacant.

“The land can grow energy or biodiversity crops one year, but it can be back to wheat the next.”

She has started a petition against large-scale solar farms which currently have more than 1000 signatures.

Renewable energy companies say the infrastructure is vital for stopping climate change and ensuring the UK’s energy security.