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21/09/2025, 13:32 - Graham: Here you are Graham. Statement read out at Sir Geoffery Cox surgery. There is a paragraph near the end re BESS that was inadvertently omitted at the meeting. 


Bulworthy Solar & BESS Statement

Thank you for meeting with me. I am speaking on behalf of many local residents about the Bulworthy Farm solar proposal. We are asking for your assistance in opposing this application and in working closely with the neighbouring MP to coordinate efforts to fight it. We support renewable energy, but this nearly 300-acre scheme, the largest in Devon, is not the right development in the right place.

• The site is not identified in either Torridge or North Devon Local Plans, so approving it would sidestep the planning framework agreed with the community.

• A large proportion of the land is Best and Most Versatile farmland. National planning guidance and the North Devon & Torridge Local Plan both stress that this land should be protected, with renewable energy directed to brownfield or industrial sites first.

• The cumulative impact of this project, combined with existing and planned solar farms nearby, would industrialise our countryside. The National Planning Policy Framework also requires cumulative effects to be properly assessed, and they have not been.

• The government’s Solar Roadmap confirms England has already met its 2030 ground-mounted solar target, yet NESO will not deliver a new national strategy until 2027. While ambitions will continue beyond 2030, approving this site now—without that strategy—would be premature and unnecessary given current capacity.

• There are serious safety concerns, including glint and glare risks for road users, fire hazards from the battery energy storage system without a proper assessment, and the use of narrow country lanes for heavy construction traffic that are entirely unsuitable for such vehicles.

• Construction would involve thousands of HGV movements on these same narrow lanes, putting schoolchildren, cyclists, horse riders, and farm vehicles at risk.

• There is no confirmed grid connection for this site, and the Alverdiscott sub-station plan is not yet available. Without the XLinks project, it is not clear whether Alverdiscott can even accommodate or use the energy generated here, making the proposal speculative.

• The consultation period was too short, held during summer holidays, and the only public meeting was scheduled for the day comments closed, leaving residents without a fair opportunity to be heard. In addition, the Westleigh community, which is directly affected as part of the site falls within their parish, was not consulted at all.

• The application itself is incomplete: no proper fire safety assessment, no noise assessment for pile driving or BESS hum, and no confirmed BESS type or cable route. The Devon Landscape Strategy and Local Plan emphasise tranquillity in this area, and these gaps raise serious planning concerns.

• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) pose specific and serious risks. In this application, the proposed location of BESS units—along with others such as at Bideford BESS (located 3 miles east of Bideford at Webbery Cross)—would create a scenario where, if there were an explosion or major fault, blocked roads would delay emergency services and could lead to a disaster. The chemicals involved in batteries can be highly toxic if released, risking environmental damage to soil and water. The planning application does not even specify what type of units will be used, leaving operational noise levels unclear; the residual hum from cooling fans, inverters, or transformers can be continuous. Studies show that noise from cooling systems and other components is increasingly raised as a concern in BESS projects. Inverters and transformers may emit a constant hum, and cooling fans run 24/7 in many designs. If these units are visible or close to homes without strong safety and noise mitigation, the potential for harm—physical, environmental, and psychological—is real.

• Outstanding questions remain on fire safety, road safety, ecological impact, drainage, and heritage. Approving this scheme without answers would be premature.

In conclusion, we ask for your support in actively assisting the community to fight this proposal and to work closely with the neighbouring MP, Ian Roome, to coordinate efforts. We would also like you to return soon to hold a dedicated session in this area to listen to residents and discuss this proposal further. Clean energy should be delivered without industrialising Devon’s countryside or removing our best farmland from food production.
21/09/2025, 13:32 - Graham: Here's the report