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Campaigners compare proposed solar farm to Tryweryn

05 Sep 2021 5 minute read
Campaigners opposed to the Traffwll Solar Farm outside of a public consultation event in Bryngwran earlier this week. Photo by Wynne Evans.

Gareth Williams, local democracy reporter

A campaign group has compared plans for a huge solar farm on Anglesey to the drowning of a Welsh community in the 1960s.

Their comments come ahead of an expected decision on the development by ministers in Cardiff.

Low Carbon, which is behind the Parc Solar Traffwll scheme, has launched a formal consultation on the planned solar farm near the communities of Llanfihangel yn Nhowyn and Bryngwran in central Anglesey.

If it goes ahead, the scheme would see solar panels erected on 155 acres of farmland – the equivalent of over 75 football pitches.

The solar panels will be mounted on frames and will stand at a maximum height of three metres above ground level.

They will all then be connected to the network via a cable leading to an existing power substation.

The panels would generate enough energy to power approximately 11,600 homes per year and offset approximately 7,840 tonnes of CO2 annually – equivalent to taking over 3,620 cars off the road.

Given its size, the plans have been designated as a ‘Development of National Significance’ (DNS) – meaning that the decision on whether to give it the go ahead will be made by ministers in Cardiff Bay.

The scale of the plans have already raised objections however.

Members of a group set up to oppose the scheme held a protest outside a community engagement event about the plans earlier last week.

Despite the group being supportive of green energy in principle, several hundred residents have also signed a petition against the plans, which they say will ‘defile an area rich in wildlife.

Bryngwran resident and member of Say No to Traffwll Solar, Vaughan Evans, said: “We’ve always compared this development with the drowning of Cwm Celyn in the 60’s to create the Tryweryn reservoir.

“But rather than an English based corporation drowning land for water, this is an English based company drowning land with solar panels to create a profit that once again won’t benefit the local economy.”

Graham Loader, one of the group’s founders, added: “We are raising awareness of these proposals locally and will fight this development all the way.”

Benefits

But developers have stressed the benefits and the scale of the renewable energy project.

While seven parcels were initially meant to be part of the scheme, that number has now been reduced to three.

The developers also said that some of the land could still be used for grazing and will eventually return to full to agricultural once the solar panels reached the end of their life.

Having submitted a notice of intent this past May, Low Carbon now has until May 2022 to submit a full DNS application.

James Hartley-Bond, Head of Project Development at Low Carbon, said: “We’ve been working on this project since 2018 and we’ve made some significant project refinements in response to local consultation with residents and stakeholders, technical analysis and survey work.

“The project proposals as they now stand represent our preferred approach, and we feel they offer a significant opportunity to deliver clean, renewable energy and localised biodiversity enhancements, without undue impact to the local area.”

Proposed solar farm development near Llyn Traffwll, Anglesey. Aerial shot of where some of the panels will go. Screengrabs from planning documents.

Anglesey Council will be consulted as part of the process as well as other statutory bodies including Natural Resources Wales and the RSPB – as the lake itself is an official nature reserve.

According to Say No to Traffwll Solar however question marks remain over its compatibility with the Gwynedd and Anglesey Local Development Plan.

They also claim the panels would be “hugely visible” from the villages of Bryngwran and Rhosneigr and withdraw good quality agricultural land out of food production for 40 years.

A statement from the group added: “The construction traffic will cause huge safety risks to local residents and will be unsuitable for narrow country lanes.

“It will lead to the outward migration of Welsh speakers which will lead to further second home ownership in the area, while defiling an area rich in its wildlife, heritage and literature which over time will change people’s perceptions of this beautiful part of Anglesey.”

But Low Carbon’s supporting statement has pointed to the benefits of the scheme, saying it would play a role in de-carbonising the Welsh economy while also providing economic, social and environmental enhancements.

“Economic benefits will include the creation of temporary jobs, supporting local supply chains during the construction phase and support the low carbon decentralised energy generation on the Isle of Anglesey as a key growth sector,” it added.

“Social benefits will be realised through decentralised energy generation and not relying on energy imports. Environmental gains would be secured through carbon reduction and local biodiversity enhancements.”

To take part in the public consultation, which runs until September 17, visit here.


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Nathan
Nathan
2 years ago

Some solid arguments from the residents there, not. “I’ll be able to see it” and speculatively “Residents will move away meaning Welsh speakers will be replaced by English second home owners”, alright Mystic Meg.

Meic Bromwell
Meic Bromwell
2 years ago

I don’t really see how this resembles the drowning of Capel Cenyn.
I can’t claim to know the detailed ins and outs of the project but we are talking about livestock being replaced by solar panels NOT the forced evacuation of a village. What this protest more closely resembles is the campaign against re-wilding. Cattle and sheep are NOT wildlife and I don’t see that actual wildlife will suffer by their removal.

Huw Davies
Huw Davies
2 years ago

Follow the money, as the detective TV shows tell us. For me the key point is ‘…won’t benefit the local economy’. No quid pro quo should mean no deal. Give the locals cheap electricity as part compensation for disrupting their communities, or do like the sheep farmers and get the flock off my land. Of course, most people in the north won’t expect ‘that bunch in Cardiff’ to give a toss about letting some non Welsh company take control of Welsh farmland to make a load of money and trumpet their green credentials at the expense of Mam Cymru. Mae… Read more »

Keith
Keith
2 years ago
Reply to  Huw Davies

So who owns the land?

Heidi
Heidi
2 years ago
Reply to  Keith

If it’s anything like Sir Ddinbych, then the county council will own it. They own vast amounts of farmland, and rent it out to farmers… and then sell it, at an increasing rate of knots, from under them to parasite developers. In our own experience, even when the farmer wants to buy the land because it’s constantly in use and a ‘good field’, they are refused. It’s then put on the market to the highest bidder, which invariably means one of two big developers. Local objections, or indeed infrastructure and services (or lack of) mean very little, as they and… Read more »

Benjamin Flute
Benjamin Flute
2 years ago
Reply to  Heidi

You don’t know that. It could just as easily be someone with links to the area going back centuries. Someone who is free to do whatever they want with their land.

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

This installation, if it goes ahead, should be funded by Welsh investors or institutions.
As should Hendy windfarm (Llandindod Wells) which is to be owned and operated by Njord Energy and their somewhat dubious off-shored UK partners Development Securities..
https://home.kpmg/uk/en/home/insights/2021/01/tmd-hmrc-v-development-securities-plc-and-others-court-of-appeal-decision.html

Last edited 2 years ago by Erisian
Benjamin Flute
Benjamin Flute
2 years ago
Reply to  Erisian

This installation, if it goes ahead, should be funded by Welsh investors or institutions.

Why? If an English company got in there first, tough.

If a Welsh company does something in England you don’t hear you don’t hear all this moaning.

There reason half these things have nothing to do with the local community is that the local community is often too busy existing as a locus of hatred and xenophobia to ever cope with the idea of doing something productive.

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

First they came for our copper….

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