I recently visited Greatworth village to meet residents and hear their views about the proposed development of a solar farm in the village. Although there is a great deal of support for renewable energy in principle, many residents explained their concerns around the interpretation of planning rules for green field sites, the cumulative impact of applications on local amenity, and the effect of government policy on developers’ commercial priorities 

We had a roundtable discussion of all the issues facilitated by members of the Copse Lodge Action Group, and I will be writing to Ministers and West Northants Council to represent their views and seek further information on a number of the issues we covered.

I look forward to visiting Greatworth again soon, and in the meantime I will continue to work with residents to clarify the rules around renewables developments across South Northamptonshire to ensure that our decarbonization efforts do not come at the expense of our beautiful area.