Developers of Meridian Solar Farm - earmarked for Crowland area - have defended the plans

The people behind plans for a large solar farm earmarked for this area have defended their development — and tried to make the case for their technology in face of criticism.

Downing Renewable Developments wants to build the 750MW Meridian solar farm on 900 hectares on several parcels of land around Crowland, Shepeau Stow and Sutton St Edmund.

But they say without plans like theirs, the Government would struggle to meet its plans to generate 70GW solar electricity by 2035 — and says that installing panels on car parks or industrial buildings would not work.

The Meridian solar farm along with other energy projects such as the National Grid Grimsby to Walpole pylons along with sub-stations have not gone down well with people in the South Holland area.

The issues is a hot topic right across Lincolnshire — with plans debated in Stamford, Grantham and Horncastle among others.

South Holland District Council has unanimously approved a motion put forward by Coun Laura Eldridge which argued that the area shouldn’t be losing its rich agricultural land and jobs to giant solar farm projects - prompting a need to import more food..

David Vernon, Head of NSIP Projects, at Downing Renewable Developments has defended his project by stating that the location for Meridian solar farm.

He said: “The location for Meridian Solar was chosen carefully, taking into consideration a range of technical and environmental factors, and was driven by the search for opportunities across England to connect to the national grid in appropriate areas.

“As well as areas for the solar and storage infrastructure, the land identified within the project boundary (shown at our non-statutory consultation in summer 2024) will also be used for environmental mitigation and enhancement zones, recreational areas and buffers.

“We are also continually exploring ways we can support local initiatives and engaging with people on community benefits.

“Where possible, we are dedicated to incorporating community feedback to minimise impacts and deliver local benefits in the design of the proposals. Our design principles support our long-term vision for Meridian Solar, where we are guided by sustainability, meaningful engagement, and environmental protection.

“We are currently assessing what land uses are appropriate on the site and continuing to carry out a range of environmental and technical surveys and assessments across the site and wider area.

“A common theme across our consultation, and indeed the wider solar industry, is a desire to see houses, car parks and industrial buildings fitted with solar instead of developments such as Meridian Solar. It will be extremely challenging for the government to meet its goal of 70GW solar electricity by 2035 without the use of ground-mounted solar sites and other planned and recently consented large scale solar sites.

“Additionally, by using a ground-mounted site, Meridian Solar would be able to help diversify the existing agricultural landholding. We are committed to minimising disruption to local farming practices and are still exploring options with landowners and part of the initial design.

“If consented, Meridian Solar will deliver significant benefits on both a national and a local scale.

“We are excited to be working with the community and local stakeholders in having their input in bringing this project forward and our recent non-statutory consultation was an important step in understanding the community’s views to help inform the early stages of design.

“We will be updating on key findings from the first consultation in the autumn and look forward to presenting our proposals at our next round of consultation in early 2025.”

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