Objectors to a proposed solar array development at Widcombe fear it could damage the Bath Skyline Trail.
There have been over 160 objections to the proposals to install 320 solar panels in the grounds of Grade II listed Rainbow Wood House.
Bath & North East Somerset Council has also received more than 50 letters of support, including from the Widcombe Association,
A website – savebathskyline.com – has been set up, claiming the development will generate far more power than can possibly be needed solely for domestic purposes.
It says the proposed scheme is on Green Belt land and in a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) where development can only take place in “very exceptional circumstances”.
As the estate is more than 13 acres, the website says the landowner has “multiple options” for locating solar panels in ways that do not affect public views, and allowing the application would “set a precedent that threatens the future of the Bath Skyline Trail itself”.
The website highlights that shortly before the application was made, a tall fence was erected, blocking the panoramic view from the trail and reducing light on a very steep, uneven path.
The development is proposed in a field above the access roads to Rainbow Wood House and Macaulay Buildings.
In its letter this week, the Widcombe Association says it has carefully examined the application and supports it, calling it “an exemplar for the provision of green energy”.
“It is our view that the proposed infrastructure has been carefully planned to minimise impact on adjacent properties and on the wider landscape of Bath, and we believe that there will be little or no harm to the quality of the Green Belt, the Bath Conservation Area, the Cotswolds Natural Landscape or the World Heritage Site from this scheme.”
It says the proposed location of the pipes for the ground-source heat pump have been moved in response to residents’ concerns about drainage in the field above their houses: “The heat pump pipes will be inserted vertically and the pipes and mechanics linking them to the heat pump will be buried.
“There will be no impact visually other than access manhole covers at ground level.”
The association says that below the walled garden, a fence has been erected which blocks views into the field, and behind it there is a sparse hedge: “We understand that the wooden fence is temporary until the hedge has been strengthened with additional planting.”
A local planning consultancy last week submitted an objection on behalf of neighbours who would be directly affected, highlighting “significant and unresolved planning issues”.
Context Planning describes the proposal as “inappropriate” development in the Green Belt and says it would cause harm to the setting of several designated heritage assets and the landscape character.
They say the application “relies on assumptions, rather than robust evidence in several key areas, including surface water drainage, and does not demonstrate that reasonable alternative, less harmful, locations within the site have been properly assessed”.
They add: “A particular concern is the reliance on a recently erected, unauthorised fence to screen views from a well-used public footpath.
“This structure is not part of the application proposals, may require separate consent, and cannot be relied upon as mitigation in landscape terms.”
The National Trust owns and manages various parcels of land in the Skyline area.
In a letter to the council, the trust says it will not be supporting or objecting to the proposal.
It says it is supportive of renewable energy and that “appropriate development can play an important role”.
It adds that it also has a role in “standing up for the special places in its care” and has an interest in the use and enjoyment of the Skyline path. The trust asks the council to fully appraise the implications of the application.
Meanwhile, the Cotswolds Conservation Board says the planning authority “has a duty to seek to further the statutory purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the National Landscape”.
Avon Gardens Trust has this week told the council that Historic England needs to be consulted on the potential impact to the setting of the Grade II* listed Gothic Temple within the garden of Rainbow Wood House: “As far as we can tell, no such consultation has been carried out to date.”
A ‘call-in’ request for the planning committee to decide on the application, rather than delegate it to planning officers, has been made by Councillor Toby Simon (Bathwick, Liberal Democrat).
He said: “I see there have been a lot of objections to this application.
“While not taking a view on the merits, I think it should be considered by the committee.”
