Derbyshire Dales Conservatives are firmly opposing the proposed 373-acre solar farm on the edge of Brailsford, a development so vast it would cover an area five times the size of the village itself.
Turning productive agricultural land into an industrial-scale energy site would be a serious mistake. At a time when the UK needs to grow more of its own food and strengthen food security, sacrificing valuable farmland is the wrong direction for our countryside and our communities.
Yet the Labour Government is making it increasingly easy for these large-scale schemes to be waived through, contributing to what feels like a wider, systematic assault on rural Britain. We are already facing the Family Farm Tax and a forced local government reorganisation that lumps rural communities into city-led councils. These are deliberate policies that undermine the countryside rather than protect it.
There are better, more balanced alternatives for meeting our energy needs without disfiguring the landscape or jeopardising food production. Rural Derbyshire deserves solutions that respect its character, safeguard its future and put local communities first.
A recent motion at Derbyshire County Council, councillors around the County voted against such schemes in the whole of Derbyshire thanks to a successful amendment by local Conservatives. However, the decision in Brailsford lies with the Liberal Democrat-led District Council.
Your local District Councillor Geoff Bond and your local County Councillor Steve Bull will stand alongside residents in opposing this.
A decision from the Planning Committee at Derbyshire Dales District Council is due in the next few weeks. Please sign our petition to demonstrate residents’ views on this.
You can also view the planning application and object on the Council’s website: click here The reference number is 25/01045/EIASO