A REVISED scheme to build a controversial solar farm in the Test Valley countryside has been put on hold while planning officers study the latest Government reforms on green energy projects.

On Tuesday Southern area councillors had been due to debate Kronos plans for a 185,472-panel park, (capable of generating 48MW of electricity) at Eveley Farm in Houghton but the debate was deferred to allow planning officials more time to go through changes to the Government’s strategy on green power that come into force this month. Kronos project manager Makan Yarandi said that the ministerial statement is primarily aimed at housing and only the first part of it is relevant to solar farms.

“This part itself relates to higher grade agricultural land only, which is clearly defined, and does not apply in our case, so we cannot see how this has any impact on the proposal at Eveley Farm, particularly if, as we know, the officers accept that there is now no issue with land classification.

Overall, we are extremely disappointed with Test Valley Borough Council’s decision on this matter,” said Mr Yarandi.

Government reforms concentrate on permitted development rights aimed at encouraging much larger scale solar panels on non-domestic buildings.

But they are also aimed at protecting England’s natural and historic environment through the National Planning Policy Framework which is used to guide decision-making by local authorities.

In the Government statement it says that councils must “take into account the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land” when considering solar schemes.

It adds: “Yet, some local communities have genuine concerns that when it comes to solar farms insufficient weight has been given to these protections and the benefits of high quality agricultural land. As the solar strategy noted, public acceptability for solar energy is being eroded by the public response to large-scale solar farms which have sometimes been sited insensitively.”

“Meeting energy goals should not be used to justify the wrong development in the wrong location and this includes the unnecessary use of high quality agricultural land. Protecting the global environment is not an excuse to trash the local environment.”

The government says that solar farms should make effective use of previously developed land and, where a proposal involves agricultural land it must be clear that this is necessary and that poorer quality land is to be used in preference to land of a higher quality.

The revised scheme, covering 60.3 hectares (149 acres) replaced an ever larger one which was rejected by councillors last year.

Borough councillor Mark Cooper said: “I am not at all happy with the postponement. The ministerial advice is not rocket science and the time between its publication and Southern Planning is sufficient for the professional officers to come to a view on its impact on the application and even get legal opinions.

There are many supporters and opponents, let alone the applicant, who will despair at the decision not to proceed.”