RESIDENTS in a village near Ludlow say that they have been completely ignored after a planning inspector gave the green light to a solar farm in Neen Sollars.

Residents in the area spent thousands of pounds making a case against the solar farm and were able to celebrate success when Shropshire planners went against the advice of their own officers and rejected the scheme.

But the developer went to appeal gave the go-ahead to the solar farm.

People living in Neen Solars and the surrounding area are taking legal advice but admit that the option of calling for a judicial review could be too expensive and risky.

There were 270 local objections and the local parish council, parochial church council and Council for the Protection of Rural England were against the scheme.

“We have been through a democratic process and presented our case to councillors,” said David Jones, who lives in the village.

“Councillors threw it out and then there was an appeal by the developer and an inspector, one man, was appointed. There was no open meeting and it was determined behind closed doors.”

“The democratic process has been completely thrown out and politicians wonder why people have lost interest in politics.”

He said that the site for the solar farm will be a blot on the landscape in a place that is visible for 30 miles.

“We are not against solar and some of the people in the area have solar panels,” said David Jones.

“But they should be on houses, on the side of motorways and on flat land where they can be screened properly.”

David Jones said that Government promises that the views of local people would be taken seriously in determining the location of large areas of solar panels had proved to be ‘completely hollow.’

Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North on Shropshire Council, fears that the inspectors decision sends out a signal that could lead to large areas of rural south Shropshire being covered by solar panels.

“The Neen Sollars decision follows the approval by another planning inspector of a solar farm at Acton Scott,” he said.

“A decision on an application for a solar farm at Whitton is due any day. I fear for the result.

“All three solar farm applications were turned down by the South Planning Committee against the advice of officers. In all three cases, councillors have subsequently been excluded from the appeal process.

“I think if councillors had been allowed to take part in these appeals, we would have put forward a stronger case and I believe we could have won the Acton Scott and Neen Sollars appeals.

“Many members of the South Planning Committee are also angry at these two decisions. We don’t take our decisions lightly. They are not easy to make. We take responsibility for our yes or no decisions. But this commitment seems to matter for nothing when it comes to appeals.

“Matters are likely to come to a head at the Henley Hall solar farm appeal in April.

“This appeal began in the same way as Acton Scott, Neen Sollars and Whitton. The councillors that rejected the application, myself included, were once again kept out of the appeal process by planning officers.”

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne has also expressed disappointment at the decision of the inspector to allow the solar farm at Neen Sollars.