Plans advance for major solar farm on Gwent Levels

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

Controversial proposals for a new solar project on the Gwent Levels have moved to the next phase and will be reviewed by government inspectors.

Developer JBM Solar says it can save the equivalent of more than 3.18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide if its Craig Y Perth Solar Farm project goes ahead around Bishton, on the edge of Newport.

It claims a “wildlife-centric design” of the solar farm will “greatly benefit” local plants and animals, and the energy project will run “harmoniously” alongside existing agricultural use of the land.

But the proposal has proved contentious among local residents and conservationists, including Gwent Wildlife Trust, which believes the scale of the project could threaten the vitality of the Gwent Levels – an area that includes designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The wildlife trust has said previously it is not opposed to solar energy but believes the projects should not threaten SSSIs, which it said are the “most important, complex and fragile ecosystems in the UK, and teeming with wildlife”.

Senedd petition

A Senedd petition against the solar farm, along with another project on the Levels, collected nearly 6,000 signatures, and campaigners also held a demonstration outside the Welsh Parliament building in March.

The scale of the project means it is classed as a development of national significance, meaning a decision on its future lies with Welsh Government planning inspectors.

And a deadline for interested parties to make their representations passed this week – paving the way for the inspectors to start examining the evidence before granting or refusing permission for the scheme.

Among those to object to the project is John Griffiths, the member of the Senedd for Newport East, who said major energy projects should be built in “appropriate” locations “and not where it will have an adverse impact on our efforts to protect deep-rooted local communities, nature and our wider climate”.

Rejected

Newport city councillors Ray Mogford and Will Routley, who represent Bishton, also lodged objections, claiming the proposed solar farm should be rejected “to preserve the village’s rural essence and safeguard its residents and wildlife”.

Bishton and Llanwern community councils have also submitted letters of objection to the project, which the government inspectors must now weigh up against the evidence submitted in favour of the solar farm plans.

One report, prepared by Axis in support of the applicant, argues research shows any cumulative impacts on the ecology of the site are “unlikely to be significant”.

JBM, meanwhile, claims the project will bring major environmental benefits, including new habitats for birds, insects and other animals.

Another Axis report states the solar farm will run for 40 years before being dismantled and the land “returned to its current condition and use”.

The project, the report adds, would make a “significant contribution to renewable energy and net-zero targets”.

The inspectors are scheduled to submit their report on the project in January 2025.