Controversy has erupted over Island Green Power’s (IGP) development of the Lime Down solar park in Wiltshire, after reports emerged that the company has offered landowners financial inducements of up to £50,000 in exchange for silence on the project’s planning application.
MP Roz Savage, representing South Cotswolds, has publicly condemned the tactic, calling it “financial inducements” that pressure landowners to refrain from opposing the solar development. A letter, believed to have been sent to around 50 local landowners, reportedly includes clauses requiring recipients to withdraw any existing objections and not to file new ones.
The letter, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, states that any landowner who previously voiced opposition must make a formal representation to the Secretary of State and Planning Inspectorate withdrawing this opposition to qualify for the offer.
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In her response to IGP’s senior project development manager, Will Threlfall, MP Savage highlighted concerns from constituents who feel coerced into signing away their right to participate openly in the planning process. She emphasized that such clauses appear to overstep the government’s intentions for voluntary agreements under the Development Consent Order process. She further noted that IGP’s readiness to use compulsory acquisition powers when agreements remain unsigned has heightened local anxiety.
The campaign group Stop Lime Down, representing affected villagers, echoed these concerns. Campaigner Sir Mike Pitt expressed surprise over the payments offered for “silence,” warning the community faces a 2,000-acre industrial solar facility that could alter the character of the Cotswold villages for the next 60 years.
In response, an Island Green Power spokesperson acknowledged that the wording regarding objection withdrawal was not part of their standard agreements and should not have been included. The company is revising these letters and reaffirmed that landowners are under no obligation to sign. Those who do retain the right to object and submit representations during the Planning Inspectorate process.
The proposed Lime Down solar farm aims to generate 500 megawatts of renewable energy—enough to power approximately 115,000 homes. The project site would stretch four miles by two miles near Malmesbury, featuring solar panels as tall as double-decker buses and battery storage units reaching the height of five-story buildings. The scheme also includes a 20km cable corridor beneath major transport routes, raising concerns about its scale and industrial impact.
As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, final planning approval rests with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband. IGP submitted its application in late September, and the Planning Inspectorate is expected to decide soon whether to accept it for detailed examination.
The planning process includes multiple stages: pre-examination registration, followed by a thorough examination involving public and official input, culminating in a recommendation report to the Secretary of State, who then makes the final decision. These stages likely span over a year, after which legal challenges may still be possible in the High Court.
Local opposition remains strong, as illustrated by Stop Lime Down’s recently released map outlining the project’s extensive footprint across communities including Sherston, Corston, Hullavington, and Stanton St Quintin.