Kilmersdon residents, who spent much of last year fighting plans against a 35-acre solar farm on fields near the top of Jack and Jill Hill and the local primary school, are cautiously celebrating after the decision last Thursday, 16th January, to refuse the application by Mendip District Council.

The plans were refused on the basis of the loss of agricultural land, which is currently farmed organically by a tenant dairy farmer, and that the project would cause significant economic harm and not provide local benefit, so considered unsustainable. It is possible the developer could not demonstrate that it was necessary to use this type of land in preference to lower quality or brownfield.

Mendip's Planning Department recommended refusal and the Ammerdown Ward Councillor, Edward Drewe, agreed with this recommendation, which saw the application refused as a delegated decision. Residents of Haydon, Kilmersdon and Charlton pulled together to write around 100 letters of objection, supported by both Kilmersdon and Westfield Parish Councils and Radstock Town Council.

The applicant, INRG Solar Ltd, supported by development consultancy, Pegasus Group, now have six months in which to lodge an appeal. Residents in Kilmersdon set up the Jack and Jill Hill Preservation Society (JJHPS) last year to try and protect their green fields against the solar farm plans and say that should an appeal be lodged, they will continue to fight the development.

Just before Christmas, a recent solar farm appeal at Ingsdon Hill, Doulting, saw the Planning Inspector uphold the Mendip refusal and so residents are keeping everything crossed that should this happen, the final decision would be in their favour. The JJHPS have always maintained that they are not against solar power, but would rather see brownfield or industrial-type solar developments first, rather than on green or agricultural fields.