Miliband overrules his own inspectors to approve Britain’s second-largest solar farm

It is set to be the second largest solar farm in the UK after the Springwell Solar Farm in Lincolnshire, an 800-megawatt project approved by the Government in April.

Confirming his decision, Mr Miliband said: “The only way to have energy security is if we take a pro-growth approach to building more clean energy in Britain. For two years that is exactly what this Government has done.”

However, the new scheme is controversial because it will see several rural communities largely surrounded by solar panels covering what were once fields and hedgerows.

The village of North Clifton, around 10 miles from Lincoln, would have solar farms to the north, east and south, with some of the local farms being completely surrounded.

Property owners cannot claim any compensation for the likely devaluation of their homes.

‘High flood risk’

Mr Miliband’s inspectors have also warned of a very high risk that the solar farm would face flooding from the adjacent River Trent.

David Rogers, the emeritus professor of ecology at Oxford University, said: “This is an extraordinary decision given the extensive level of flood risk along the River Trent here.

“The central part, along the river, is high flood risk and a much larger part is medium flood risk.”

Mr Rogers added: “What is the point of having a planning examination if everything is approved, regardless?”

Like most of the UK’s renewable energy projects, the scheme is backed by largely foreign investors.

The backers are PS Renewables, whose parent company, Sumando Acciones, is Spanish, and Perigus Energy, owned by Denmark’s Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.

The decision means the Government has now approved 30 nationally significant clean-energy projects since coming to power, which it says will be enough to supply the equivalent of more than 19 million homes.

In the past 24 months, Lincolnshire has become the flashpoint of the UK’s clean energy transition.

Spurred by Mr Miliband’s net zero strategy, his energy department has bypassed councils to approve eight significant infrastructure projects.

Besides One Earth and Springwell, he has approved six other multi-megawatt schemes – Tillbridge, West Burton, Heckington Fen, Cottam, Gate Burton and Mallard Pass, all in the face of widespread local opposition.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said in a statement: “Local communities continue to be given the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.”