Lincolnshire residents have been left “devastated” after the construction of a massive solar farm was approved despite nearly 400 objections.
The Planning Inspectorate overturned East Lindsey District Council’s earlier decision to block the huge development adjacent to Sotby Woods in the village of Hatton.
Push Energy’s application was originally rejected in October following substantial local resistance, with 378 formal objections submitted against the scheme alongside a petition gathering 479 signatures.
Residents raised concerns about the project’s potential effects on the surrounding countryside, which features a Grade II-listed farmhouse.
However, the inspectorate determined that any negative consequences would be “decisively” outweighed by the scheme’s advantages.
Victoria Atkins, Conservative MP for Louth and Horncastle, said Hatton residents would be “devastated at the news”.
In a statement, Ms Atkins said: “This is another example of local people paying the price for the government’s rushed and botched net zero plan.”
The MP argued that Lincolnshire’s agricultural land deserves greater protection, describing the county as “the breadbasket of the country” and “should be being protected for our nation’s food security.”
Lincolnshire locals have been left ‘devastated’ after a massive solar farm was given the go-ahead despite nearly 400 objections
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COUNCILLOR RUCHIRA YARSELY
The inspectorate’s report acknowledged the development would cause “some adverse” effects on the landscape’s character.
However, they determined that these impacts “would be limited and localised,” partly owing to planned screening vegetation around the site’s perimeter.
“The imperative to tackle climate change, achieve net zero targets and contribute to energy security… clearly and decisively outweigh those harms,” the report concluded.
Push Energy has stated the installation would generate 50MW of electricity, sufficient to supply approximately 21,000 households.
The huge project will be built over farmland in what the local MP described as the ‘breadbasket of the country’
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COUNCILLOR RUCHIRA YARSELY
The company previously indicated the project would contribute to carbon emission reduction targets and boost local biodiversity.
Infrastructure plans include a 15-metre security and communications tower enclosed by a two-metre fence.
The developers claimed the facility would eliminate roughly 12,500 tonnes of CO2 annually, supporting the district council’s own environmental objectives.
Under the approved scheme, the solar farm would operate for 40 years at the site before being dismantled.
The 132kV substation and associated framework would remain as permanent fixtures.
The project has faced a turbulent planning journey, with the council initially granting approval in 2023.
Campaign groups successfully challenged the decision through judicial review, leading a High Court judge to quash the permission.
Local councillor Ruchira Yarsley from the Hatton Action Group had been “absolutely ecstatic” when the council refused the application in October.
Nearby in Gainsborough, locals have been left similarly distraught after the “UK’s biggest solar farm” was also confirmed to be installed on local farmland.
Speaking to GB News, they fumed the move was “madness”, blaming the plans on “greed and money”.