UPDATE ON TRERICE SOLAR FARM [from Cllr Dick Cole - 12.08.26]

The proposal for a 32MW solar farm at Trerice was today (12th of August 2026) given the go-ahead by a government planning inspector.

The original application was recommended for approval by planning officers at Cornwall Council, but was turned down by councillors at a meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee on 10th July 2025. The applicants went to appeal and a hearing was held at the Pitch on 12th May.

The planning inspector has today published her ruling. She acknowledges that the solar array will have a “significant adverse impact on the local landscape,” as well as “limited harm as a result of the long-term loss of best and most versatile land, and harm at the lower end of ‘less than substantial’ harm to the setting of two designated heritage assets.”

But she also gave significant weight to the “national benefits associated with renewable or low carbon energy” and, in her conclusion, took the view that the “totality of benefits of the proposal outweighed the harms.”

The applicants also lodged an application for an award of costs. This was refused. The planning inspector noted the following:

“Local residents and councillors raised pertinent matters in respect of character and appearance and heritage, amongst other things. Even though my final decision was to allow the development, it was not, in my view, a case which could be described as one which should clearly have been permitted, as the various matters raised needed to be weighed in the planning balance. Members are, in any event, entitled to disagree with officer’s recommendations, and in this case they did so on reasonable grounds and engaged proactively throughout the appeal process.”