South Kesteven District Council rejects solar farm application for land near Belton House in Grantham after concerns over heritage views

Plans for a solar farm close to Belton House in Grantham have been rejected following concerns about its impact on picturesque views of local heritage sites.

Low Carbon Solar Park 38 Limited’s application to develop the land at High Dike Road, near Londonthorpe, was rejected by South Kesteven District Council’s planning committee following a three-hour debate yesterday (Thursday, October 17).

Councillors opposed the development due to potential harm to nearby heritage assets, particularly Belton House Park and Gardens and Belmont Tower, and feared the impact on the Londonthorpe Conservation Area.

The scheme, reduced from 144 to 53.8 hectares, aimed to produce 49.9 megawatts and included battery storage.

The application had received 50 letters of objection, including concerns over the loss of agricultural land, noise, pollution, and the visual impact on the rural landscape—specifically the Grade I listed Belton House, Park and Gardens.

The community has rallied against Ash Farm and the cumulative impact of solar farm proposals, fearing effects on hiking routes and tourism views.

It was called in by Coun Elvis Stooke (Grantham Ind) due to some of the objections raised.

Ward councillor Phil Gadd (Grantham Ind) raised concerns about the installation of cabling and called on councillors to take account of a lack of public support, the effect on open landscape character, and the perception of the area.

“The landscape has value, and [policy] requires decision-makers to recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside,” he said.

Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without Parish Council Councillor Alan Bowling said there was overwhelming objection from a majority of parishioners.

“We believe that this application shows several examples of rushed evaluation,” he said.

He said the parish council supports renewable energy but opposed this application as it's in the wrong place.

He said communication had been poor, and that search areas had been small, and expressed fear that there was “no way of establishing for certain in 40 years this could actually be returned to its original state.”

Resident Ken Steer-Jones said residents had shown “a clear objection to the commercial and industrialisation of Grantham’s unique area of natural beauty, which should be saved from exploitation,” noting that Belmont Plantation and its surrounding areas were a “significant attraction for visitors and tourists”.

Lisa Morton highlighted that alternative sites could have been identified that would not affect the Grade I heritage setting, and said the infrastructure was “too large” for the grid connection.

“The presence of cumulative impact is undeniable,” she said, referring to other solar farms and plans in the area.

She believed the public benefit was achievable on a less contentious site, and the negative impact was greater than concluded.

A statement from resident Carol Markwell raised concerns about the safety of battery storage and included a petition signed by more than 70 local residents.

Further concerns were raised by the Gardens Trust, Historic England, and the National Trust, though some were addressed in revised proposals.

Officers recommended the plans be approved, citing national goals to reduce emissions.

They said there would be some adverse effects on the landscape character, but felt it was less than substantial and could be mitigated through landscaping. They also noted there were no public rights of way through the site.

They added that the substantial benefits of reducing fossil fuel reliance and promoting renewable energy outweighed the minor landscape impacts, supporting the approval of the application.

Officers saw no cumulative impact, as none of the three nearby plans have been approved, with one already rejected and on appeal.

Ed Perrin, speaking on behalf of Low Carbon, said the plans would help encourage energy generation and unlock green growth by 2030 in a bid to tackle the impact of climate change.

The plans will power more than 12,000 homes, the equivalent of 20% of the district, and will create a biodiversity net gain of 30%.

He said changes made by the applicant would respond to issues that had been raised.

“We understand that some of you may be reluctant to approve solar farms, as they’re not universally popular in the rural landscape,” he said.

“However, they are critical to delivering net zero.

“This is a well-thought-through site that is remote from residences. There will be limited views from public and privately accessible locations, and it is located on unproductive land.

“Any impacts will be temporary and fully reversible.”

He told councillors that technological changes had been part of the reason they could reduce the size of the development.

Councillors' questions included the protection of arable land, the planned location of any cable routes to the site, concerns about the environmental effect and contamination, consultation, lifespan, and land restoration.

Coun Sarah Trotter (Con) said: “This is a golden triangle. It is being played down, the effect on Belton House, Belmont Tower, etc., but it’s not just the solar panels—it’s the rumbling of vehicles, the battery storage—it’s the whole culmination which will detract from the character and beauty of this particular parcel of countryside.”

Councillors also felt that not enough information was provided about aspects including the cabling routes and impacts of noise, etc.

Committee chairman Charmaine Morgan (Dem Ind) said: “I’ve gone through the report with a fine-tooth comb, and what’s hugely worrying to me is that what it’s actually done is create, in my opinion, too many unknowns.

“If we actually look at this application, we can’t actually determine the full official impact, because we don’t actually have a full layout.

“This isn’t just a field next to a village with a church in it. This is affecting the whole setting of one of the most important landscape areas in our district, and certainly in the Grantham area. So, because of that, I feel it should have considerable, considerable weight,” she added.