Solar farm size of 130 football pitches approved near Melton Mowbray
October 26, 2025
Solar farm size of 130 football pitches approved
PA MediaA solar farm the size of 130 football pitches has been given the go-ahead after a councillor said it was “inevitable” it would be approved on appeal.
Applicant RWE Renewables said the 214-acre plot at Pickwell near Melton Mowbray will power more than 25,000 homes.
But the site is split over two council areas. Melton Borough Council (MBC) approved the larger site, but a smaller portion of the development is in neighbouring Rutland and is still up for consideration by the respective council.
The planning committee voted in favour of approving the scheme, with six voting for and four against.
‘An alien feature’
The MBC application had attracted 229 letters of support, against 53 objections, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
But the meeting heard the letters of support were largely as a result of a form given out to residents by RWE Renewables, which led to accusations from an objector that supporters were not local.
This claim was refuted by both the applicant and the council.
Councillor James Mason said he had “agonised” over the solar farm decision for days, but added it would be “inevitable that this solar farm will get built on appeal”.
Ward councillor Leigh Higgins called the farm “industrial infrastructure and an alien feature imposed on open countryside”.
But the applicant defended the project and said the farmland would return in 40 years’ time with “an improved soil condition”, and added renewable energy is a “national need, not a local need”.
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