Plans refused after claims it would ruin farmland and resemble an “industrialised prison complex”.
Anesco proposed the seventy-acre farm. The councillors cited land misuse as a reason and thought it’d ruin good agricultural land. Plus, it would be visible from a distance and Newton Lane would become one-way during construction, causing a detour.
Martin Falder lives and farms in Bretby. He said the site was inappropriate and explained his family farmed there for generations. The soil is some of Derbyshire’s best, vital for growing crops, he stated.
Falder understands landowners’ need to rent land. However, he believes this site is wrong and asked the council not to impose it, adding locals don’t support it.
Josh Rowbottom leads projects for Anesco. His firm built many solar farms and created 24,000 renewable energy assets. He said the farm would power 8,000 homes and produce 21 megawatts. He also said it would fit the area.
Rowbottom added they would plant hedges and also planned to add 200 new trees. This aimed to hide the site.
Councillor Kerry Haines noted the land quality and said people use that land for recreation. Ugly fences would block them, she stated, and large trucks would pass Repton for weeks.
Councillor James Lowe mentioned forty-year permission. He said it would lose the land for a generation, adding the plantings try to hide the industrialized view.
Amy Wheelton called the plan “ridiculous,” stating the countryside paths would be like prison corridors. Fences and cameras would look out of place, and it would become like a prison, she added.
Wheelton said it does not benefit the area and further, it could harm the local tourist site. She stated a farmer would lose his land, and the landlord benefits financially.
The council rejected the farm, citing landscape and farming impact. These were the primary issues.