Locals fear Britain's biggest solar farm will 'spoil views of the Malvern Hills' if plans for huge 271-acre development go ahead
Britain's biggest solar farm could spoil views of the Malvern Hills, protesters have claimed as they marched in an attempt to halt plans for the 271-acre development.
Opponents to the proposals by RWE Renewables UK Solar & Storage Ltd near Powick in Worcestershire claim it will destroy the landscape and could pose a fire risk.
The group from Preserve Powick Landscape and Nature (PPLAN) marched through parts of the proposed site yesterday having already erected signs around the area.
They are worried that the solar farm will disrupt views of the Malvern Hills, cause harm to local wildlife and present a fire risk from batteries used to store energy.
Powick resident Steve Lloyd, who lives across from the proposed entrance to the site, told how he was also concerned about increased traffic and noise in the area.
He said: 'It's mainly the size of it. I'm a farmer - and it's so close to my house and my farm. I'm just thinking about what could go wrong.
'Apparently they can catch fire from the battery storage system. People are worried about the fire risk, and the wildlife. There's also the glare from it - and just the actual size of it. Traffic is also very much a concern - it's on a single track lane.'
The site would be bigger than that current largest scheme in the UK, which is found at Shotwick Solar Park in Deeside, North Wales, which covers 250 acres.
PPLAN leader Peter Loader, who lives adjacent to the proposed development, is concerned about fire risks and traffic disruptions which could last seven months.
He said: 'The reason I've been coordinating these events that have taken place in opposition to the solar farm is primarily the impact on the landscape.
'There are a lot of people who won't be able to walk through that area - and the Malvern Hills is an area of outstanding natural beauty.
'Both the Malvern Hills Trust and the National Landscape people have objected because the view from the Malvern Hills would clearly be impacted by this site.
'The A449 has more than 20,000 vehicles a day going along it - and that is pretty much the capacity for a single carriageway A-road.
'Because they need to lay a cable from this side to the nearest substation, they're proposing putting roadworks up for seven months - and that's pretty serious.'
Mr Loader said the construction would 'affect people's day to day lives' with taking children to school, but could also impact ambulances.
He continued: 'Many residents are concerned about the fire risk - when they catch fire, they can't be put out. When that happens, there's a toxic vapour cloud that forms, and the fairly large housing estate is downwind.'
Fellow campaigner and resident Andrea Trickett-Born told BBC News: 'I do think there is a better place for solar panels.
'It's on roofs, it's on public buildings, it's on schools, it's on warehouses, on car parks - anywhere else that's not just taking up available, usable farmland.'
But Bente Klein, from RWE Renewables UK Solar & Storage Ltd, told the BBC that the site was near the National Grid and it was therefore the 'best and most suitable' location.
She added that trees and hedges meant there would be no major effects on views.
Malvern Hills District Council told the BBC it could not comment on the project during the planning process, but confirmed that the application was submitted in January.
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