COUNTRYSIDE campaigners have expressed “anger and disappointment” at the Environment Agency’s decision not to require an environmental impact assessment for a massive solar farm proposed north of Basingstoke.

As previously reported, a solar farm could be built on land near Grazeley that will see up to 60,000 solar panels installed on up to 75 acres of land West Berkshire Council owns.

The Berkshire branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), which has been objecting to the plans, said it was surprised to see the Environment Agency 'not even comment' on West Berkshire Council’s plan for the large-scale ‘solar farm’ and battery storage buildings at Bloomfield Hatch, Grazeley.

The charity group said the agency is failing in its duty to protect the natural environment of West Berkshire by refusing to insist on a proper assessment of the solar farm’s impact on the area’s ecology and wildlife.

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CPRE said the solar farm development represents “unnecessary industrialisation of our countryside”, and that the council should be putting photovoltaic panels on rooftops instead of creating solar farms that sprawl across precious farmland.

The group wrote to the council last summer raising its “serious concerns” about West Berkshire’s policy on renewable energy, and citing the authority's scheme for a huge (45 hectares) solar farm at Bloomfield Hatch Farm as “environmentally destructive” and “a missed opportunity to promote rooftop renewables”.

CPRE said renewable energy can best be generated by installing solar panels on roofs, and leaving the countryside for agriculture and nature.

The charity has called on the council to “rethink its entire approach to renewable energy”.

CPRE Berkshire chairman Greg Wilkinson said: “We cannot understand why the Environment Agency has not even commented on this appalling scheme for a vast solar farm at Bloomfield Hatch.

“Their unwillingness to challenge this scheme is extremely disappointing. So-called solar farms not only disfigure the landscape but there is growing evidence that ‘temporary’ solar farms can do lasting damage to the soil quality and biodiversity of the countryside around them, preventing the land from being used in future for grazing farm animals and harming the local wildlife too.”

He added: “We are very fearful of the permanent damage that can be done to farmland, and this at a time when we should be keeping as much of our countryside in agricultural use as possible, for the sake of our food security and because local food production is more sustainable in the long term.”

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CPRE said that the council should look again at its plans and adopt a more eco-friendly approach.

CPRE has renewed its call for West Berkshire Council to drop its plans for the Grazeley solar farm and instead focus on rooftop renewables.

Environment Agency was contacted for a statement, but it said it’s a matter for the council to comment on.

A West Berkshire Council spokesperson said: "At the planning stage of this project, many assessments, including phased ecological assessments, were conducted to ensure it reflected the council's strategy and commitment to addressing climate and ecological emergencies it has declared.

"We're dedicated to promoting sustainability and seizing opportunities to enhance biodiversity alongside generating renewable energy on this site. Additionally, we're actively pursuing rooftop renewable energy solutions on our own buildings and implementing various components of our environment strategy, with a focus on improving the natural environment.

"As a council, we're dedicated in our support for initiatives that contribute to a greener, more sustainable future for our community."