Controversial plans to build a large solar farm in the countryside to the south-east of Leamington have been given the green light by a Government planning inspector following an appeal against an earlier decision to reject the scheme.

Staffordshire Solar 1 Ltd appealed to the Secretary of State against the decision made by Warwick District Council’s (WDC) planning committee in May 2025 to reject the company’s plans for to build a solar farm and battery storage together with all associated works, landscaping, equipment and necessary infrastructure on 86 hectares (212 acres) of agricultural land on the outskirts of Radford Semele.

The two-day appeal hearing took place at the Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington last month after it had been pushed back from an earlier date in February.

Since the plans were first put forward in November 2024, many Radford residents, with the support of Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western – who spoke on the first day of the hearing - actively opposed them.

Campaigners against the solar farm plans outside The Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington during the planning appeal hearing in April. Picture supplied.

placeholder image — Campaigners against the solar farm plans outside The Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington during the planning appeal hearing in April. Picture supplied.

A petition set up by campaigners gained more than 1,450 signatures while a separate petition from Mr Western to Parliament had 440.

And there were more than 300 objections on Warwick District Council’s planning portal, including from Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, The Ramblers Association, FoRGE, Warwick District Councillor Becky Davidson (Green, Radford Semele) and Mr Western.

The main brunt of the objections is the impact the solar farm would have on the land.

There are also concerns about the loss of public footpaths, the effect that would have on the community and the impact on local wildlife.

In the conclusion for the report on the appeal and her decision to grant permission for the scheme to go ahead, planning inspector Dianne Crag said that, while she acknowledged the solar farm and building it would have an adverse impact on the area, the benefits of the renewable energy it would provide outweigh these issues.

She said: “The adverse landscape and visual effects of the appeal proposal would cause moderate harm to the character and appearance of the area.

"While I recognise that the countryside is of great value to those living nearby and using it for recreation, the adverse impacts would be relatively localised and not significant.

"Renewable energy is supported by Government and local policy and is crucial to the objective of combating climate change and achieving net zero ambitions.

"In this context the renewable energy benefits of the scheme, taken together with the economic and biodiversity net gain described, are of a scale and nature that justify giving them substantial weight in my decision.”

Radford Semele resident Judy Steele, who was one of the campaigners against the scheme, described the outcome of the appeal as “a heart-breaking decision for residents”.

She added: “That land, if farmed for fruit and vegetables, could feed several thousand people.

"Why can we not have village-scale community energy projects that serve the people who live near them directly?

"This is not a fantasy - there is a scheme in Oxfordshire that has been running since 2012.”

Recurrent Energy, which is behind the project, has said the site would generate enough renewable energy to power about 20,651 homes and save 14,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

To access, download and read the appeal report type in code 6000932 here https://tinyurl.com/5ep8htc7