Chapel Hill Solar Farm is the original name given by JBM Solar (now part of multi-billion euro German company RWE) to what on their planning application is called Monksfield Solar Farm.
PPLAN is a group of local residents opposed to this industrial scale development which will ruin countryside which forms part of the setting of the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding National Beauty.
To visit the homepage of this website, click the logo at the top left of this page. To view how RWE tried to disguise the location of this proposed development, and see links to other misleading information provided by RWE, continue to browse the rest of this page
Misleading Information
Where is it?
What RWE says
In its planning application, RWE gives the location as “Monksfield Farm” and on its application form, gives the site description as “Land at Monksfield Farm, Monksfield Lane, Newland, Worcester, WR13 5BB”.
As an aside they also spelt Worcester incorrectly – unless the solar farm is actually intended to be located in a place called “Worchester”.
The facts
The actual site extends over 271 acres including on the opposite side of the A449 to Monksfield Farm, including on the land of Ridgeway Farm. You can view a site map by clicking here.
Why is this important?
Because the limited number of local residents receiving planning notices believed that the site didn’t affect them. It was only when it was explained by PPLAN representatives with the aid of a site map that they understood how the development affected them.
We repeatedly received feedback that “the developoment is some distance up the road” when we spoke to local residents living either adjacent to or even right in the middle of the true development site.
Our interpretation
Our research shows that providing misleading site location, or referencing names of places that no one uses or has heard of, are common features of planning application for solar farms.
We believe this is a deliberate attempt to reduce opposition to such developments during the consultation phase of the planning process.
Surely if developers believe in what they are doing, they should publicise and justify their proposals?
As for the mis-spelling of Worcester, this could simply be evidence of a slap-dash approach to the whole thing, or perhaps indicative of the remoteness of RWE from local people in Worcestershire.
Disclaimer
Of course, you will have to make up your own mind. Our interpretation of the facts and why we think they are important is just our opinion, and we most certainly don’t want to be sued by a power generation company that sues governments for billions of euros when those their climate change policies happen to conflict with the fossil fuel power generation business of that company.
QUICK LINKS
Links to other Misleading Information
These links will be provided once the pages have been written – rest assured there is plenty to work with.
However, if you spot something in the planning application that you think is misleading, either object on the MHDC planning portal, or message us via admin@pplan.org