Potterne Solar Action Group Updates

The planning application for the Potterne Park Solar development has officially been called to the Wiltshire Council Strategic Planning Committee. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 1st July 2025.

Whilst we are extremely disappointed that this poorly constructed application has not been rejected outright by the planning officer on a number of grounds, this means that the decision about whether or not this large-scale industrial solar farm goes ahead will now be debated and decided in public by elected councillors from across the county.

Who Will Be There?

• Local councils will be formally represented at the meeting.
• Three members of the public will also be allowed to speak.
• Potterne Solar Action Group is working with these speakers to ensure that the community’s objections are clearly and effectively presented.

Why This Matters

This is a crucial opportunity to speak up for our village, our landscape, and the future of our valuable farmland. While we strongly support renewable energy, we believe in Rooftop, not Farmland — solar panels belong on buildings and brownfield sites, not on productive farmland, valuable green spaces or in areas of natural beauty.

The Potterne Park proposal threatens to industrialise open countryside, damage local biodiversity, and change the character of this important landscape forever. The decision on 1 July will have long-term consequences — not just for Potterne, but for similar solar  developments across Wiltshire.

What Happens Next?

We’ll be:

• Preparing and supporting our speakers in the lead-up to the meeting
• Keeping you informed via social media, and our website
• Sharing the outcome of the meeting as soon as it’s available

This is a pivotal moment for our campaign. Please stay engaged, spread the word, and support us as we continue to fight to save our beautiful countryside and valuable farmland for generations to come..

One Tree Hill: STATUS - REJECTED

Now, we are pleased to share a significant milestone in our campaign: on 30 May 2025, Wiltshire Council rejected the application for the solar farm at One Tree Hill. This is a huge step forward and a testament to the strength of community opposition and reasoned argument. The developers may well appeal this decision, we will keep you informed if that is the case, along with necessary calls to action.

Potterne Park Farm: STATUS – IN CONSULTATION (ROUND 5)

Frustratingly, we are in consultation round 5 for this application, with Wiltshire Council planners allowing the applicants multiple bites at the cherry on what has been a poor quality application with misleading and incorrect information from the start.

On 29 May 2025, Potterne Solar Action Group submitted a detailed response to the Hydrock Technical Note on Access recently uploaded to the Wiltshire planning portal (dated 8 May 2025). Our response highlights significant concerns about the accuracy, transparency, and safety implications of the applicant's traffic and access proposals for the Potterne Park Farm (PPF) solar site.

Key points raised on access:

• Severely Underestimated HGV Movements: Hydrock claims only 245 HGV deliveries will be required to build the site—this is grossly understated. Based on a review of comparable solar projects, PSAG estimates the real figure is closer to 929. Hydrock’s past underestimations on similar projects raise serious questions about credibility.
• Resident Access Impacts Ignored: Proposed mitigation measures are unrealistic and unreasonable, requiring residents to contact marshals to leave or return to their homes.
• Emergency Access Risks: There is no secondary access for emergency vehicles—this is a critical safety failure.
• Illegal Use of Public Rights of Way: The proposed access route includes PRoWs designated for agricultural use only. Previous applications for similar use have been rejected.
• Inadequate Passing Places & Unsafe A360 Access: Proposed passing places are either unviable or involve land not in the applicant’s control. A single marshal on a blind A-road bend is an unsafe traffic solution.
• Unrealistic Use of Road Mats: Protective mats are unsuitable for Potterne Park Lane, which floods frequently. Similar proposals were rejected by other councils due to skid risk and inadequate verge space.
• Legal Grounds for Challenge: PSAG has identified at least three legal grounds to challenge the application, particularly relating to land ownership, resident access rights, and misleading traffic data.

We urge Wiltshire Council to base decisions on credible, verified data, not speculative or inaccurate claims. Hydrock’s figures cannot be trusted, and this access route remains wholly unsuitable for the scale of construction proposed.

There is no date yet on the planning portal for a decision on this latest round of consultation, but we will continue to update you with any news of a decision or further consultations.

A quick note to update you on a couple of developments:

• As mentioned last time, the Highways Officer has asked the developer for more information on Potterne Park Farm.  This information has now been provided and uploaded as 2 new documents on the planning portal.  These can be viewed on the website by clicking on this link https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i3z00001CFBIu. We have until 02/06/2025 to comment.  PSAG have yet to go through the material in detail but on first viewings it appears that little has changed in terms of vehicle numbers, which we believe to be grossly understated.  We will be making a robust response - it is our view that the developer is misleading the planning authority by understating volumes which is a serious matter and we intend to hold them to account.  We are informed that Potterne Parish Council will also respond.
• Council elections have resulted in the Liberal Democrats becoming the largest party in WCC - although not with a majority.  A leader of the council will be elected on 20th May.  We will be making contact with the new governance structure when it becomes clear.  We are pleased to say that Tamara Raey and Dominic Muns our local councillors were re-elected, which really helps given they have been so supportive of our cause.
• A number of our signs have “gone missing” over the past few weeks.  If they are still in people’s possession can I encourage you to please either return them or put them back up.  With the new council and with planning officials being encouraged to visit both sites, it is important to keep our profile up - it's a long drawn out process but making sure our voice continues to be heard is vital - thank you.  If you would like a sign for display contact me or visit stoppotternesolar.com

• There are NO MAJOR decisions as yet and there are no new decision dates for either planning application on the WCC planning portal (which still reflects end February as the decision timeline for both sites).  But there have been developments.

• The Highways Officer for PPF has changed, which is a shame as the previous officer posted an OBJECTION on the planning portal.  Responsibilities for Highways has past back to the original planning officer and she recently indicated on the planning portal that she was asking the developer for more information.  We have submitted another robust objection on the planning portal complaining as to why this item is being revisited given the applicant has had ample opportunity to provide the necessary data and on both occasions when they have submitted numbers that these have been copied from other applications and are not relevant.  You can see both the Highways officer’s comment and our response on the planning portal.  More importantly Potterne Parish Council have also responded in the sternest possible language.  The planning officer “noted” the concern from PPC and said that these views will be taken into account, which is encouraging.

• We have been in dialogue recently with the WCC Cabinet asking them what strategy they are taking too steer planning with respect to projects that are clogging up the grid.  As you will remember NESO (who control access to the grid) have frozen new connections because of a backlog.  This dialogue is on going with WCC and responses from them clearly show the pressure they are under from Westminster to approve projects.  We still believe, however, that our case is strong despite this pressure.   Both these sites in our view do not meet the new criteria for grid connections, do not meet the Wiltshire Core Strategy and would be on land destined for agriculture under the new Land Use Framework being developed by central government.  Our discussions have slowed recently with WCC understandably given the upcoming elections.

• Our councillors Dominic Muns and Tamara Raey have been very supportive in our campaign and we wish them all the best in these upcoming local government elections.

• We will continue to monitor things closely and we assume once the elections are behind us that decisions will be forthcoming.  Obviously any major changes at WCC level will impact decisions.   We are very familiar with the current council make up but if things change dramatically we will have to renew our lobbying efforts to make sure our voice is heard.

• The WCC ecology officer has posted a strong objection on the OTH application.  This, however, was not the case for the ecology officer who was overseeing the PPF application who appeared to have been rushed into accepting the mitigations put forward by the applicant.  We have pushed back strongly as to why these officers have come to different conclusions for developments in the same valley.  Thanks to Jo Darlington for providing an expert comparison of the two submissions.

• Also the WCC Landscape officer has strongly objected to the OTH application.  For PPF the Landscape officer has a “holding objection” status but again we will be monitoring if, and how, these critiques vary between the 2 sites given they are in the same landscape area.

• “Access" is proving a strong card on both applications - landowners say they will refuse access to their land for passing places on OTH and WCC are aware of this fact.  Likewise local residents have done the same for the access difficulties for PPF. A reminder that the highways officer has objected to the PPF development.  We have pointed out that the PPF access has major safety issues and we are currently seeking legal advice as to the consequences of this if the application moves to the next phase.  We have already registered with the planning office the legal rights of unrestricted access for residents.

• All these points are registered as comments on the 2 applications.
  The Local Natural Recovery Strategy for Wiltshire is in its consultation period.  This is a nationwide process for ensuring the habitats of wildlife are registered.  This data can then be used as a "material consideration" in planning applications but unfortunately has no veto impact.  We intend to work with the LNRS to get this valley specifically noted so that we have a case in the long term to get the area stronger protection to act as a barrier to these inappropriate applications in the future.  Councillor Cummins is leading this initiative on behalf of WCC which is useful for the valley.  Dominic and Tamara continue to be very supportive of our cause.

• As you can see we are closely monitoring things. As you can also see, signs continue to go up around the parishes to voice our opposition - please contact me or go via the website to get your own sign, particularly if you have a prominent position.

• Do visit stoppotternesolar.com as a repository of information about our campaign and also donations can be made via the website.  Clearly funds will be needed as we continue the fight and start to engage expert (particularly legal) support in the future.

• The fourth round of planning consultation for PPF closed on 07/02/2025.  The second round of consultation for OTH also closed on that day.  Close to 800 comments have been received from the public, experts and parish councils across the 2 applications of which 95% plus are objections.  The standard of responses from our collective groups has been truly excellent and we thank you for that.  As we said in a recent exchange with our MP Brian Matthew,  We think the people of Potterne know more about solar farms than the applicants based on the quality of some of their submissions!

• Latest decision date still remains as 28/02/2025 for both PPF and OTH sites.  We don’t think those dates will be met by the planning office since there is so much material they have to get through - but that is only our opinion.

• 2 significant central government moves have come out over the past month - NESO (National Energy System Operator) has frozen new solar applications to the grid as of January 29th as the backlog is so huge and they need to clear out dormant applications.  Also Steven Reed (SoS for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has announced consultation for a new Land Use Framework which will free up land for development but also, crucially, help protect land for agriculture and habitat.  These moves should have impact on solar applications going through the planning process - we shall see.  We have raised these implications with MPs (Mathew and Kruger) and they have subsequently been in contact with WCC.

• We are therefore upping the tempo of lobbying councillors and MPs.  Tamara Raey came for a photo shoot earlier this week with our action group, and Dominic Muns is engaging with Wiltshire Council on the subjects raised above on Neso and the land use framework.

• We have been distributing more Stop Potterne Solar posters.  Please get in touch either via the website or in response to this email to obtain one. Here is the website link : StopPotterneSolar.com  Getting the word out in this way is a simple but effective way of expressing our anger and I cannot stress enough the importance of this simple tactic.

• The developer for the proposed solar farm at Wilsford in the Vale of Pewsey has withdrawn their proposal on the grounds of cost and landscape.  They have however submitted a proposal at Townsend in Poulshot.  We have not yet been engaged with anyone in connection with this application.

• This Saturday 22nd at 11am, there's a talk by the Stop Lime Down Solar Park team at Leigh Park Community Centre, Westbury, BA13 3FN. All welcome, if anyone is interested, and someone from our group will attend.  Again, we were contacted about this via our website which is starting to prove a useful vehicle to link with other communities.

• A new document from the consultants Lighthouse has appeared unannounced on the Potterne Park Farm solar application -  https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i3z00001CFBIu/pl202310332?tabset-8903c=2.  This is a letter written in June 2024 attempting to answer questions raised by the planning officer.  It also appears to refer to documents that are not on the planning portal.  As to why this document has surfaced now we are not sure, but will be taking it up with Wiltshire Council. Clearly the pantomime continues!
• You will recall that the last round of consultation for PPF closed on 6/12/24 - this appears to have reopened.   A revised consultation deadline for PPF has now been set at 29/1/2025.  
• The OTH solar application second round of consultation is underway - Planning Application: PL/2024/04926 (wiltshire.gov.uk). This closes on 7th February.  We are drafting responses, but do register your own related to the new documents if you see fit.
• Latest decision date still remains as 28/02/2025 for both PPF and OTH sites.
  We will be picking up more Stop Potterne Solar posters today.  Please get in touch either via the website or in response to this email to obtain one. Here is the website link : StopPotterneSolar.com 

• You are forgiven if you feel totally confused, angered and bewildered by this constant moving of timelines and changing information.  Part of this is tactics by the applicants who are trying to wear people, and overworked planners, down and obfuscate the arguments by putting layer upon layer of conflicting information into their application.  Part of it as well reflects an overstretched planning authority trying to maintain order and cope with the shear volume of documents and public comment.
  

• A revised set of documentation was submitted yesterday by the applicant for the One Tree Hill Solar Farm.  A second consultation round has been opened which is due to close 07/02/25.  These documents (some 400 pages) cover predominantly ecology surveys and mitigation plans; but also traffic plans, landscape notes and the results of the archeological dig.  The application is Planning Application: PL/2024/04926 (wiltshire.gov.uk) and we encourage you to make a comment as you see fit.  PSAG will be making a robust response and will provide any support requested by Parish Councils during the consultation process.  
• The decision dates currently for OTH and PPF are registered on the planning portal as the same - 28/02/25. 
• As was mentioned in the last update we do not expect things to get any easier in 2025.  We expect this to be a long battle and to maintain visibility we have launched the website StopPotterneSolar.com  This should provide us with a really useful resource to brief councillors, MPs and decision makers as we move into the decision phase. 
• In addition, we started distributing STOP POTTERNE SOLAR signs for display around the villages in the run up to Christmas.  It would be great if we could now see a second wave of posters appearing to express our opposition as we enter this second OTH consultation period, and given that the decision dates for both sites are coming up.  These signs (see Call to Action - THE LATEST section of this website) can be obtained by responding to this email or via the website.  If you have a prominent location, stick a sign on your fence!    I cannot stress enough how important this visibility will be as we run into this "decision period”.

• The Latest Decision Date (calculated) for Potterne Park Farm Solar is now 28/02/2025 - this appeared on the planning portal this morning.
• The decision date for One Tree Hill remains as 31/01/2025
• We have had great support from everybody in 2024.  And a massive THANK YOU goes to everyone for objecting in the strongest possible manner so far.
• We do not expect things to get any easier in 2025.  We are now entering a new phase and expect this to be a long battle.  To maintain visibility we have launched the website STOP POTTERNE SOLAR.  Here is the link : StopPotterneSolar.com  This went live last weekend and should provide us with a really useful resource to brief councillors, MPs and decision makers as we move forward. It aims to cut through the mass of material on the planning portal for these applications and give a strong coherent picture as to why these applications should not go ahead.  We will also use it to host the latest updates and important documents as they emerge.  Do use it, and feedback is welcomed.
• In addition we are distributing STOP POTTERNE SOLAR signs for display around the villages - see below.  These can be obtained by responding to this email or via the website.  If you have a prominent location, stick a sign on your fence!  Remember not to put your sign on council land or telegraph poles or road signs - its not allowed!  I cannot stress enough how important this visibility will be as we run into this "decision period”.
• We have written to our MP Brian Matthew to keep him informed of where we are at and I hope to meet up with him again in the New Year.  His voice and others will be needed in Westminster to counter the blanket "solar at any cost" statements coming from the Secretary of State. 

• The deadline for the third round of consultation with the LPA for Potterne Park Farm solar application is tomorrow 6/12/24.  The new documents from the applicant covered amendments to Landscape visualisation, ecology and noise
• I am pleased to say a raft of objections have been registered dismissing these documents out of hand - they have added no value and have only served to confuse the plot - which is presumably their aim!
• Many of you have put in terrific comments and reading through them is uplifting.  We, Potterne Solar Action Group, have submitted a response on behalf of this community and Potterne Parish Council and Easterton Parish Council are submitting today!
• We are now entering a new phase and expect this to be a long battle.  To maintain visibility we are launching a website to support the fight against both solar farms OTH and PPF - This is going under the slogan STOP POTTERNE SOLAR.  Here is the link : https://stoppotternesolar.com. Take a look and give us feedback.  Obviously it's work in progress but it is now at a stage when we can go live.  A big thanks to Leila Searight and John Peak for doing the bulk of the heavy lifting on this, ably supported by their sons and daughters.
• The website will help us spread our story to influencers and decision makers as well as keeping the broader community informed of what is going on.  There is also a donate tab for fund raising, and funds we will need!
• In addition within the next week or so we will start distributing STOP POTTERNE SOLAR signs for display around the villages - see a draft below.  These can be obtained by responding to this email or via the website.  If you have a prominent location stick a sign on your fence!  Remember not to put your sign on council land or telegraph poles or road signs - it's not allowed!

• You will have been informed that another round of consultation has been opened up for PPF.  This is the result of new documents coming from the applicant.  
• These documents cover Landscape, Ecology and Noise.  They were submitted essentially within a week of the decision deadline target date quoted by LPA.  It is our view that this was designed to provide the shortest possible time for public response and also to put planning officers under pressure to meet deadlines with little time to absorb new information.  This appears to be the case with the ecology officer changing her recommendation to a conditional acceptance.
• We will be putting in a response on behalf of Potterne Solar Action Group - PPC and EPC will also respond.  We will also ask our experts to respond as they see fit.
• We will leave it up to individuals to decide how and if they want to lodge another objection.  
• There has been no shift on the stance on Landscape from the applicant other than to include acknowledgement that there could be some cumulative effect if One Tree Hill goes ahead.
• The Noise study can at best be described as rudimentary watering down any impact and not even acknowledging the substation
• The Ecology material plays down the importance of the site for bats and sky larks - there is no mention of other species and fails to provide adequate data requested.
• We will put forward a robust response.  The game here, as far as the applicant is concerned, is to only answer questions posed by the LPA officers - ignoring everyone else’s.  They only focus on the site itself and try to move the debate into mitigation measures.  We’re having none of it!  I remind you that the applicant has no track record of actually building these solar farms, they sell on to others.  Therefore they will not be held accountable for any mitigations agreed to.
• We are getting great support from our councillors who have lobbied hard for us to get public consultation and visibility of these documents
  PPC have re-opened their subcommittee on solar to formulate their response, of which I am a member - so coordination is in hand 
  Deadline for consultation is 26/11.  Although PPC have got an extension to 6/12. I am not sure at the moment if this is for everyone, so I suggest if you are going to put in another objection then work to the earlier date.

• The decision date for PPF has been pushed out to 31st October.  This is a “calculated" decision date on the planning portal.  We are not exactly sure what that means, but certainly we will not hear any decision before then.
• We understand that the applicant (Stark) for PPF has asked if they can submit more information - we know nothing about what that is, or what the LPA response has been, or whether there will be another consultation period if new information comes in.  Potterne Parish Council have asked for clarification but nothing has come back from the LPA as of yet.
• The “calculated” decision date for OTH has gone out to 31st January 2025.  In the meantime archeologists have commenced a dig on the site.  We assume this to be the County Archeologists as they requested a trial dig.
• We met with the new MP Brian Mathew to see PPF solar a couple of weeks back.  He was with us for about 2 hours.  As part of those discussions he asked if we could pull together a high level framework to help decision makers when assessing solar applications so that they can keep a balanced view.  We have done that and sent him a draft this week - it is based on work already done by CPRE and Wiltshire Council.  He is going to circulate amongst local MPs and councillors to help work they are doing at the LGA revising guidelines.  So our voice is being heard at the county council level one way or another in an effort to keep our profile up.
• We heard today that an application is going in for a solar farm to the west of Poulshot - Byde Mill solar farm at Townsend.  Making it the 6th farm in the pipeline for planning in the Potterne area, to go along with 6 already live within a 5 mile radius of Potterne.  No details yet on this new project as to whether it is appropriate or not.  We will keep an eye on it.
• The site being proposed at Willsford is to be visited by the local MP Danny Kruger in the coming weeks, so that will give us another opportunity to lobby for support.
• The political landscape as you know has gone very pro solar which is worrying.  However that does not mean sensible decision making has lost its place and we have evidence that Wiltshire Council is still assessing applications according to their policies.  We need to continue to fight our corner one step at a time
• Our funding drive is going well.  The Justgiving page is now over £2600 and private donations are also coming in direct to John and Tracey (we have around £8000 of these pledged).  I’ll give a full breakdown of financials with the next update.  Thanks to all who have made or pledged donations.  I’ve attached the link and details below. We are currently in a waiting stage, but we know we will need a war chest for phases to come, I make no apology for rattling the tin!

• As I mentioned last time Potterne Park Farm application closes 31st July (previously 15/7) for comments on the applicant’s revised document set.  This is the link: https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i3z00001CFBIu/pl202310332?tabset-8903c=2.  We are not banging the drum here to get as many new comments as possible - the planning officer will consider comments already logged for this case and requests that new comments be focussed on the newly submitted documents.  Easterton and Potterne Parish Councils are submitting today and we at Potterne Solar Action Group have submitted a response to the new material.  If anyone has insight on the new documentation that you want registering, you have till Wednesday.
• The One Tree Hill application has till 8th August (was 11/7).  The application is Planning Application: PL/2024/04926 (wiltshire.gov.uk) and here we do need as many objections as possible.  We have been requested by LPA  to get them in early rather than all coming at the last minute.  There are already 128 comments of which 120 are objectors and 2 supporters.  We have started leaflet dropping residents to get these numbers up.  We are working closely with Potterne Parish Council to submit a robust set of challenges and I am confident we will get these in on time,
• Fundraising is live.  This is really important as expenses are mounting.  These funds are essential as we will need to have our own expert views to combat those of the developers and we will potentially need legal support to fight appeals further down the track.  
• Many have asked how the money will be managed - This is how it works:
• Funds will be managed by our Potterne Solar Action Group core group – namely Steve Holt, Judy Boyt, Glenn Bailes, Leila Peerun, Tracey Wellingham and John Peak. This Core Group will authorise expenditure.  Tracey Wellingham and John Peak have agreed to act as custodians of the finances and are in the process of setting up an account for PSAG.
• We have a JustGiving page which people can donate to – large or small, anonymous or named. 
• Or for those who would rather donate directly they can contact Tracey or John direct.
• If, in the event we have money left over after the 2 campaigns, excess monies will be given to CPRE Wiltshire branch who have been super helpful so far in giving us access to material and opinion leaders.
• So far, we have funded a Landscape evaluation critique for Potterne Park Farm and a Landscape and Visual Impact Analysis for One Tree Hill, plus flyer’s banners and placards.  We have spent around £5000 to date and this has been underwritten by individuals
• The Justgiving page has already raised £1200 and we have promises of around £6000 from individuals. 
• We will keep everyone posted to where we are in terms of money in and money out.  Our aim is transparency as well as getting the job done as speedily and economically as possible.
• All contributions welcome, large or small, named or anonymous.  Do circulate this link to spread the word.