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closeup shot of solor panel

I am a Developer…

Dear Ground-Mounted Solar PV Developers,

Here at CARE Suffolk we recognise that not all ground-mounted solar PV developments are inappropriate. In fact, there are several, some not far from us, that are good examples.

They are away from residential areas.

They are enclosed areas, not sprawled across undulating countryside in multiple “parcels”.

They are away from public rights of way, so as not to create a corridor of fencing or hedging.

They are not near neighbouring areas prone to flood risk.

They are sensitive to existing wildlife, not displacing them.

They are sensitive to the landscape, hidden away.

They are kept away from heritage assets.

They are on low-grade agricultural land and/or brownfield sites.

Too many ground-mounted solar PV developments we are seeing nowadays do not fit this criteria. The current haphazard approach appears on the surface at nothing more than an attempt to pigeonhole a development into whatever land space is available. With exceptions of course, but these are in the minority.

If you are a ground-mounted solar PV developer reading this, and you are attempting to get the inside scoop against a campaign group in your area, then may we suggest you stop looking. There is no inside scoop on why people are trying to protect the area they live in. In general, people choose to live in the countryside because they want to live in the countryside. Every person has a different “why” that underpins that choice. We’re yet to find someone who chooses to live in what you are offering – an industrial estate.