Farm's future in doubt with plans to build huge solar farm on land

A Somerset farmer says his son’s future will be put at risk if a large solar farm gets built on his land.

Robert Dibble is just one of dozens fighting the plans near Watchet. He says if it goes ahead there won’t be enough growing land left for his crops.

Farming is in the Dibble family’s blood. Robert’s father brought them to the site between Washford and Watchet in the 1960s and his son James wants to take over. But the farmland they lease to grow crops, mainly wheat, could be considerably smaller if 55 acres of it are used to build a planned solar farm.

He said: "We’ve always imagined that my son was going to take over after me. To suddenly think that the future’s taken away is actually quite distressing. It’s also the best land I’ve got so I need my better land the subsidise the rest of the farm if I wish to keep farming it in the environmentally sensitive way that all the grassland is."

Robert’s farm is one of two affected by this development, which would border a current solar farm. Elgin Energy, who are behind it, say it could provide yearly power for 7,500 homes but home owners like Penny Jennings simply don’t want it.

She said it might affect tourism, saying: "People come here for their holidays. They come to see it, the beauty of this place. You should put the electricity supplies on brownfield sites or on roofs rather than making another footprint on the land."

The amount of opposition has been so big that the previous planning meeting was deferred and is now taking place on 18 July. Áine O'Connor has been coordinating the local response.

She said: "The opposition group is definitely not against renewable energy. Solar is a fantastic idea but it has to be in the right place. When I say ‘right place’ I’m not talking about ‘not in my backyard’, I’m talking about prime agricultural land that crops are grown on every year. We have food security issues just as much as we have climate issues."

Also objecting is the owner of Tropiquaria Zoo, Chris Moiser. His park would border the solar farm. He’s worried about the impact on the broadcast transmitter station on site, on wildlife and possible risks around battery storage.

He said: "The battery storage system - we’re only just starting to establish them in this country. We’ve had one go up in Liverpool that took five days to put out, Korea, which is doing lots of them, has them going off burning up regularly and they’re very nasty if they burn because they burn so hot."

All the people who live in this area can do now is wait. Despite their objections, Somerset Council planners are recommending councillors approve the application at the rearranged meeting, saying it’ll help address a reliance on fossil fuels.

Elgin Energy has been approached for a comment.