Plans revealed for solar farm near Eccleshall as one resident says it's 'punch in the gut'

Ampyr Solar Europe is proposing the solar development to the south east of Cotes Heath, near Eccleshall, on a 24 hectare (59.3 acre) site next to the A519 Newcastle Road.

A planning application is expected to be submitted to Stafford Borough Council later this year. 

If the plans are given the green light, the site is expected to generate up to 15 megawatts of renewable energy to be exported to the local grid, which could meet the needs of approximately 7,400 homes per year, and the development could be in place for up to 50 years.

A public consultation on the proposals is currently under way and will be open for comments until 11.59pm on February 11. 

On Tuesday (January 28) representatives from Ampyr Solar Europe hosted an exhibition at Cotes Heath and Standon Village Hall, where members of the public could view plans, ask questions and give their views.

Scott Johnson, Consents Manager of Ampyr Solar Europe, said there had already been a strong turnout at the event within its first hour of opening on Tuesday afternoon, compared to other consiltations held for proposed solar developments elsewhere in the country. 

He added: “It’s been a bit mixed – some people are all for it, some are anti-solar wherever it goes and there are a few people who are not anti-solar but don’t want it here.

“Ampyr Solar Europe is committed to supporting the UK’s transition to zero and low carbon sources of power and achieving energy security. Solar energy will play an important role in this journey, and Cotes Heath Solar development will be key to supporting this transition and providing reliable and green energy to communities in Staffordshire.

“We take our role as a good neighbour seriously and want to ensure this project leaves a positive legacy for the area. We are looking forward to sharing our proposal with residents and working with local communities to help us better understand the local area and ensure they can help shape our proposal.”

The development is aiming to improve biodiversity in the area, with plans to seed the site with wildflower seed mix. At other solar farm developments elsewhere in the country land underneath the panels has also been used for sheep grazing.

One visitor to Tuesday’s event said: “I’m all in favour of it. We need to get more power.

“The only concern I have is the grade of agricultural land. There is also the landscaping perhaps, but it’s no worse than the strawberry farms in the borough.”

Other visitors raised concerns about the impact of the development on roads and the neighbouring village however. And one villager stood outside the venue on Tuesday afternoon with a placard saying “no, no, no” to raise awareness to passers-by of the proposals.

She said: “I worry about leachate. I love everything about the countryside and hearing about this was like a punch in the gut.

“It was the same with HS2 (the controversial high speed rail line was due to pass through nearby countryside before Phase 2a was cancelled by the previous Conservative government in 2023). They still have the fencing up for that.”

Another objector said: “I’m not against solar energy but this will take up a massive agricultural field – couldn’t it go on a brownfield site instead? It will impact on us residents.”

Another villager said: “They should the solar panels on roofs – why is it agricultural land all the time? No-one is making any more land.”

For more information on the proposals, people can visit visit cotesheathsolar.co.uk/