CONTROVERSIAL plans for what could be one of the United Kingdom’s largest solar farm arrays on land at Holsworthy Beacon have been put on hold by its would-be developers.

Countryside campaigners, local politicians and the MP for Torridge and Tavistock joined residents in a packed meeting in October last year to launch a campaign aimed at stopping the ‘Beacon Solar’ project, which would have covered approximately 2,700 acres of farm land with solar panels.

Because of its size, with a capacity of over 100MW, the Beacon Solar project would count as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and would be decided by the government alone. The only input from the local planning authority and the six parish councils who represent local communities would be as consultees.

However, it has been confirmed that the project has been withdrawn from the planning inspectorate’s pre-application service and placed on hold.

The government website portal featuring the progress has confirmed it is on hold, stating: “Beacon Solar Limited have withdrawn their Beacon Solar project from the Planning Inspectorate's pre-application service and placed consultation on hold.”

In the letter from Rob Paul, the project director of Galileo Empower Renewables, which was behind the Beacon Solar project, the following reasons were given for its withdrawal.

He stated: “Following the collection of environmental and technical data over the last 18 months, the proposed Beacon Solar farm is undergoing further assessment in terms of its layout, scale, and detailed design.

“While this process is ongoing, there will be a pause to the consultation process and as such we wish to withdraw the project from the NSIP process.”

The news has been given a cautious welcome by the Devon branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Devon CPRE chairman Steve Crowther said: “We are pleased to see that Beacon Solar have withdrawn their application for a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project – a gigantic 2,700-acre solar farm which would produce no energy for more than a decade – across the landscape at Holsworthy.

"We hope that they have noted the reaction from thousands of residents of the area and members of the wider public who cherish this landscape; and will now redirect their investment into brownfield or rooftop renewable energy projects.

"If all the developers now eyeing up our green fields would do that, we could exceed the government’s solar targets for 2050 without ruining landscapes and taking millions of pounds worth of food production out of our economy. We will watch very closely what this developer – a Swiss-based group with many fingers in the renewables pie – does next. And we will be ready and waiting if they come this way again.

“In the meantime, we urge Devonians to keep signing and circulating our petition, at www.devoncpre.org.uk, to help us defend Devon’s unique landscape assets from mega-solar speculators."