Wokingham Labour challenge council over Barkham solar farm

A plan to convert Barkham Farms into a solar farm with approximately 72,000 panels was submitted by Wokingham Borough Council on its planning portal on Thursday, April 8.

The council has argued the solar farm would provide the borough with much needed green energy.

However, the effectiveness of the proposed solar farm in cutting carbon emissions has been questioned, along with concerns about the impact the solar farm could have on wildlife.

READ MORE: Wokingham Borough Council unveils plans for massive new solar farm

The viability of the solar farm and the part it would play in the council’s strategy to respond to the ‘Climate Emergency’ has been seized upon by Andy Croy, the Labour Councillor for the Bulmershe & Whitegates ward.

In a video critiquing the plan on the site at Barkham Farms, Cllr Croy said: “This is a classic example of something which looks like the borough council is doing the right thing because you have a field and it’s full of solar panel and everyone thinks that’s great – we want clean energy.

“The bigger issue is how much carbon will that take out of the equation? And the answer is not very much at all."

“This development here will only take out just one per cent of our total current carbon emissions. Whether or not that solar farm will make a material contribution to a reduction in our CO2 emissions is a totally separate question and that is question which the borough council needs to address, because this farm will only take out one per cent of our carbon emissions, and there are other things that we can do which can have a bigger impact.”

A spokeswoman for the council admitted that the solar farm would only reduce 1.2 per cent of Wokingham Borough’s carbon footprint.

She said: “In January 2020 the council adopted a Climate Emergency Action Plan in recognition of how important it is that we work together to combat climate change and achieve a net carbon 0 in Wokingham by 2030.

“A range of initiatives and projects are identified within the plan and are being rolled out to support this vision.

“One of the projects, Barkham Solar farm, will contribute a reduction of around 1.2 per cent to the entire boroughs carbon footprint. Whilst representing a massive contribution from a single project this is only a small part of the change required. Much more needs to be done to meet this target, not just by the council, but also by local residents and businesses.”

The solar farm, if approved, would see approximately 72,000 solar panels installed at Barkham Farms.

In the video, Cllr Croy suggested that the best way to combat climate change would be to reduce the numbers of motor vehicles on the borough’s roads.

Cllr Croy said: “Ultimately we will win or lose in our fight against the climate emergency based on what we do in terms of taking motor vehicles off of our roads, that is something we have to address, and it’s something the current climate plan does not address in a serious manner.”

However, the spokeswoman for the borough hit back at Cllr Croy’s claim that the council’s current climate energy plans do not address alternative methods of travel.

She said: “There are six targets in the climate emergency action plan that aim at reducing carbon emissions from transport by supporting the take up of more sustainable transport options such as walking, cycling, and public transport.

“Activities already taking place include improved cycling infrastructure, the creation of a network of Greenways linking across the borough, Electric Vehicle charging points, an increased number of bus stops and both new and improved park and ride facilities to encourage sustainable travel.

“Alongside this the council has also established the award winning My Journey scheme to help promote wider behavioural change and encourage sustainable travel, and is also developing strategies for Low Carbon Transport and Electric Vehicles which will be embedded within the Transport Local plan which is currently under review.”

READ MORE: Wokingham's Climate Emergency Action Plan slammed

There are also worries that building the solar farm would have an adverse impact on local wildlife, particularly deer which roam the the land.

Cllr Croy said: “One of my concerns is that the solar farms that I’ve seen in West Berkshire often have very secure fencing around them. Now if we’re going to put very secure fencing around the solar farm here effectively you will take away this whole area out of the range of local wildlife, and that would impact on creatures like deer, they are already being hemmed in and having their ranges reduced by housing and busier roads. If we take out this large area in one of our rural areas it’s going to make it much harder for deers to survive in this area and we all want to see the natural wildlife survive.”

READ MORE: Climate emergency plan approved - £50m plan labelled 'hugely disappointing'

The council spokeswoman said that fencing would be needed to secure the site.

Attempting to allay Cllr Croy’s concerns, she explained: “Whilst this fencing will prevent deer from coming into direct contact with the panels, the sites layout has been designed to create green corridors around the edges, with fencing set back from the boundary hedging. This will allow wildlife to continue to move around the site and connect into wider green areas such as the Longmoor Bog Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI).

“In addition to screening the site, proposed planting and landscaping plans, which include the planting of 15,000 tree woodland, are focussed on supporting wider biodiversity on the site as well as creating improved habitats for native species to thrive.”

Residents in the borough have until Friday, May 7, to submit their comments about the plan.

You can do this by going to Wokingham Borough Council’s website www.wokingham.gov.uk and searching for planning application number 211081.

Cllr Croy is a sitting Labour councillor for the Bulmershe & Whitegates ward on the borough council. He is running for re-election against Liberal Democrat candidate Sheila Jordan and Shahid Younis, the candidate for the Conservatives.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrat response to Cllr Croy’s claims will feature in future articles, in line with purdah regulations.