Ed Miliband has approved Britain’s second-largest solar farm on 4,000 acres of prime farmland after overruling opposition from his own inspectors. The Telegraph has the story.
The Energy Secretary on Wednesday said he had granted planning permission to the One Earth Solar Farm development to be built on prime farmland across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
It comes despite a recommendation to block the development from Miliband’s own planning inspectors.
They warned that the scheme would be destructive for the environment, would put historic structures at risk, damage the health and well-being of local people and cause transport problems.
The controversial decision marks the third large solar farm approved by Miliband in recent days, coming a week after he backed two other large solar farms, Pear Tree Hill in East Yorkshire and Dean Moor in West Cumbria.
Sceptics suggest the Energy Secretary is trying to sign off as many such developments as he can before Andy Burnham takes office and potentially moves him to a new position.
One Earth has been cleared for construction on 4,000 acres of prime farmland near Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood and West Lindsey district council areas.
Besides the thousands of Chinese-made solar panels, the scheme will also include giant batteries to store surplus electricity.
It is set to be the second largest solar farm in the UK after the Springwell Solar Farm in Lincolnshire, an 800-megawatt project approved by the Government in April.
Confirming his decision, Miliband said: “The only way to have energy security is if we take a pro-growth approach to building more clean energy in Britain. For two years that is exactly what this Government has done.”
However, the new scheme is controversial because it will see several rural communities largely surrounded by solar panels covering what were once fields and hedgerows.
The village of North Clifton, around 10 miles from Lincoln, would have solar farms to the north, east and south, with some of the local farms being completely surrounded.
Property owners cannot claim any compensation for the likely devaluation of their homes.
Worth reading in full.
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Very democratic
There comes a point when politicians are not only wrong, but detestable. Mad Ed is out of control and cares nothing for people’s lives or amenities.
What a complete hooligan. Hopefully at some stage he will be locked up and preferably the key thrown away. Totally bonnkers.
Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire County Councils are Reform controlled. This is Miliband sticking the boot into the Councils and the people who voted Reform.
The County Councils should do everything they possibly can to delay and hopefully prevent this going ahead. Starting with closing the access roads.
That makes sense. I would also like to know who the landowners are in this case; they are as bad as Miliband and I hope that their neighbours ostracise them.
They will pocket the cash and leave the country, no doubt. Leaving the rest of us to pick up the mess.
Good suggestion. County and District Councils have many powers and are unaccountable. It is extremely difficult to force them to do anything they don’t want to and very time-consuming.
This appalling excuse for a human being appears determined to utterly destroy this country.
Yet all we do is moan on here! WE let him get away with it and WE are suffering because we are so docile. Shame on us.
Proof, if proof were needed, that Nut Zero is not science but a religion led by a fanatical, swivel eyed, speaking in tongues, high priest.
Destruction of local communties, landscapes, sustainable food supplies and nature. All so that we can say we’re saving the planet by relying on clean energy. Except it will be anything but reliable, given British weather’s unpredictability. Nor will it be “clean” once you take into account the Chinese use of coal-powered electricity in the production process.
This eco-zealotry seems impervious to reason. Those promoting it need to be brought back down to earth, as rudely and as soon as possible.
For years we have had to put up with extreme champagne millionaire socialists screaming about the destruction of the coal industry by Thatcher, when of course more were closed down by Attlee, Wilson and McMillan (I know, a Tory but not Thatcher) than during her premiership. But still we have to put up with the squeals of industrial vandalism and the poor miners. Fiction lives longer and louder than fact in all cases.
This vandalism, however, in future years will be a fact for all to see because it is not hidden below ground. People will ask why these fields of useless glass were allowed to be erected while the population, if they are lucky, have to pay exorbitant prices for basic vegetables and, if they are unlucky, are suffering severe malnutrition due to the lack of basic foodstuffs.
We can only hope that whoever Burnham appoints in Milibrain’s stead reverses this destruction or that it goes to judicial review and, just as the idiot didn’t contest the case for oil and gas, the new incumbent will offer nothing to contest the review.
Don’t forget that Burnham is planning to open state restaurants…
All serving ‘delicious’ vegan crap, no doubt!
Is he allowed to do anything he likes?
Yes, he was always going to overrule any opposition to covering the farms with solar panels and installing explosive batteries. Maybe it is time for a fire at one of these places.
You may not to wait long for a battery fire without any external assistance.
The actions of a maniac.
And zealot. Minibrain heads up the New Puritans
If the locals make life impossible for the developers they will abandon due to costs.
Milliband is riding roughshod over people’s homes, health, quality of life for his own personal religion. It is time that the people made their views known and en masse cause mayhem on the site.
So we can be sure of electricity to power our ovens– even though we have no food to cook in them.
I tend to use my oven in the evenings and more frequently in the winter than the summer – do I need to change my cooking habits to accommodate Milliband’s cult?
Why Widdicomb and not Milliband?
Because we are not terrorists.
Perhaps we should be…
Miliband is a candidate for Rampton.
Tyburn.
And no, that’s not a cryptic reference to you.
He needs, for OUR safety.
This is complete madness on behalf of Miliband. How on earth can he make decisions on this scale with no support from his own Inspectors,AND spend the money on Chinese manufactured Solar Panels, the Chinese who don’t give a toss about the Net Zero con? Don’t we need home grown food more?
He can do it because no one is prepared to stop him.
Determined opposition would succeed, but there is none where it matters.
More reason to ignore those trying to destroy Farage and vote Reform to end the Net Zero project and halt the tax payer subsidy merry- go- round.
Exactly. WE are the reason he can do it, because we do bugger all to stop him!
Shame on US!
What exactly do you suggest we do?
First class agricultural land is also being covered permanently in high density housing for our ever increasing population.
As we are currently changing PM, shouldn’t these decisions be in “purdah”? Or has the annointed one already given it the nod
So there is no doubt now that this is purely idealocial. God help our country!
Mindless.
I think you are wrong but is all wilful.
Please don’t be shy to articulate your views.
Not mindless James, wilfully ignorant. One wonders what motivates him. Does he want to replace Al Gore?
I think the motivation is the same one that motivated Alok Sharma. The prospect of a highly lucrative post-Parliamentary career in the Globalist Eco Quangocracy/Network.
Follow the money.
UN Agendas 2030 and 2050. Look them up.
Don’t worry. I know all about UN agendas.
Then tell everybody you meet. It utterly defeats me how these commandments rule us and yet are hardly mentioned at any level.
Sandy Adams and UK Column are doing a pretty good job of spreading the word.
Worse, malevolent
Satanic would fit better.
Green and pleasant land be GONE – Milliband the Destroyer has spoken!