Belchamp campaigners launch fund-raising appeal for legal challenge against solar farm proposal for Belchamp St Paul

Campaigners battling a proposed solar farm have launched a £40,000 fund-raising appeal, as they seek to challenge its planning approval in court.

Belchamp Save Our Soils (BSOS) is pursuing a judicial review against planning permission awarded to a major renewable energy development in Belchamp St Paul.

Last month, Braintree District Council green-lit an application by BSR Energy to build photovoltaic solar arrays and associated infrastructure on land near Cutbush Farm, off Bakers Road.

The outcome was in spite of extensive objections from Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten Parish Council, as well as a majority of residents.

Opponents are alleging that, in the course of reaching its decision, Braintree’s planning committee did not carry out procedural due process and failed to follow its own planning policies.

To formally challenge these issues in the High Court, the BSOS group has been formed to crowdsource funds to cover legal costs.

Since its launch two weeks ago, more than £5,000 has been raised.

Belchamp St Paul resident Clive Waite, who is leading the campaign, confirmed they had appointed solicitors and were confident in their case and the evidence supporting it.

He said the scheme was indicative of a wider national trend, with a move to green energy coming at the expense of high-quality agricultural land.

“This solar farm will take about 53 hectares of ‘best and most versatile’ farmland out of action for the next 40 years,” said Mr Waite. “To be realistic, it will end up being a lot longer than that.

“It’s all very well to say we need security with green electricity production, but that’s no good if we don’t have enough security when it comes to producing our food.

“We feel the planning authority has not been fair. We don’t think it has applied its policies in an even way and, as a consequence, has arrived at the wrong decision.”

Once Braintree District Council issues its formal decision notice on the application, the BSOS group will have six weeks to file its notice of intent to challenge the decision.

The council would then be required to respond to this, before a judge determines whether there was sufficient evidence to proceed to a formal legal review.

Mr Waite said their case was supported by legal precedent, in addition to ministerial statements warning against building on land categorised as the ‘best and most versatile’.

He said BSOS had joined the UK Solar Alliance, a nationwide network of campaigns against large-scale solar developments on agricultural land.

The fund-raising appeal is at www.crowdjustice.com/case/belchamp-save-our-soils.

“We’re not saying we don’t want a solar farm,” added Mr Waite. “We’re saying we don’t want it there.

“The developer says it will only take a small amount of land, but it becomes a larger amount because of the cumulative effect. That’s the issue we’re facing.

“The way things are going, with the Government wanting to quadruple solar capacity, that’s inevitably going to put more pressure on good-quality farmland.”