Surrey: Plans for green belt solar farm go before council

Plans for a solar farm on green belt land could be approved to help the University of Surrey meet its net zero carbon emission targets.

The application proposes a new solar energy facility on 43 hectares of land west of Blackwell Farm, Hogs Back, Surrey, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

The university said the proposal was a "key element" of its strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, but more than 100 letters of objection have been received against the plans.

Recommended for approval subject to conditions, the application will be decided by Guildford Borough Council planning committee on 6 November.

Under the joint application between the university and SSE Energy Solutions, solar panels would be installed on the land, which is also an Area of Great Landscape Value, for 35 years, before the equipment is cleared.

Around 22,410 solar panels could be installed on the site, providing electricity directly to the university by a cable link to a substation on the Stag Hill campus.

Gaps of up to 5.3m (17.3ft) will be between each row, the planning documents state, allowing for the grassland to grow and sheep to graze during the operational period.

The Students' Union has submitted a letter of support for the application, arguing: "Sustainability is no longer seen as a 'nice to have' but an integral part of the university's long-term strategy across all operations – from student accommodation to teaching and research facilities."

But the application has received some backlash, with more than a hundred residents objecting to the solar farm and at least 15 groups and organisations.

The Guildford Society has also called the application "premature" as part of the site covers an area in the Surrey Hills National Landscape boundary review by Natural England.

Objectors have also argued the university should incorporate more solar panels on its existing infrastructure and car parks.