Revised application
Have your say
RWE, the German energy giant, has amended its Roundhill Wood solar planning application.
Experts say the changes are primarily cost-cutting measures that will worsen local environmental and community impacts. Wychavon and Redditch councils are undergoing new rounds of consultation.
A final decision on the scheme is expected at a planning committee meeting later this summer. Over 10,000 people have now objected the scheme.
JBM Solar has been in discussions with Wychavon District Council since 2019 about their plan to take over nearly 300 acres of high-quality farmland for 40 years to construct an industrial-scale energy generation and storage plant.
For over six years, they have struggled with this ill-conceived project because it is the wrong scheme in the wrong place.
The proposed site, situated between Stockwood and Stock Green in rural Worcestershire, would contain hundreds of thousands of solar panels and large battery storage facilities designed to trade energy with the grid. Its vast scale would impact four local parishes—Inkberrow, Stock & Bradley, Kington & Dormston, and Feckenham—as well as Wychavon District Council and Redditch Borough Council.
Concerned residents have formed the Roundhill Wood Solar Farm Opposition Group to challenge this development. We support renewable energy—when placed appropriately. Solar panels should be prioritized on brownfield sites, industrial buildings, and mandated for new residential developments. JBM Solar should not be sacrificing our countryside and historic heritage to accommodate industrial-scale energy facilities.
Tens of thousands of objections have already been submitted to Wychavon and Redditch planning authorities.
JBM Solar initially filed its planning application (W/23/00270/FUL) in February 2023. Since then, they have been acquired by Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk (RWE)—a German energy giant historically dubbed "the dirty man of Europe."
In February 2024, JBM Solar submitted a revised application.
By February 2025, they had made a third attempt.
Details of the latest application and guidance on how to object can be found in the following pages.
Click here to see our objection letters
Around a thousand people have joined forces with a local residents’ campaign and written to top RWE executives in the UK and Germany asking them to withdraw the energy company’s plans for the 287-acre solar power station planned for Roundhill Wood.
The support comes as the Chair of the Roundhill Wood Solar Farm Opposition Group (RWSF), Phil Coathup wrote an open letter to RWE CEO Katja Wünschel and the UK country chair Tom Glover, directly pointing out why over 7800 have objected formally to the scheme.
The main reasons are that RWE would be destroying Tolkien’s last remaining literary landscape, a move that has united people across the UK, including politicians and academics, to oppose the scheme, and that the scheme is being proposed on productive agricultural land. It also points out that the application is being poorly managed and is not significant project for RWE as it represents a tiny percentage of the company’s solar pipeline nationwide.
You can find the full planning application here
Wychavon Planning Portal - Solar Plant
This application sets a dangerous precedent for the local area. With such a close proximity to the Feckenham substation - Inkberrow and the surrounding villages will become a prime target for solar developers.
Home to 287 Acres of BMV agricultural land, currently producing a fantastic wheat crop. Recent global developments have demonstrated the need for the UK to become more self-sufficient in domestic crop production.
A bordering farm named 'Bag End' was owned by J.R.R Tolkien's Aunt. He stayed with her at the farm for a time and walked the local fields. It is widely accepted Tolkien based 'The Shire', from the award winning 'The Hobbit', on the local surroundings.
A vast spectrum of wildlife inhabit this site including protected species such as the Great Crested Newt and extremely rare Brown Hairstreak Butterfly - this is one of only three areas this Butterfly can be found.
This area has been known to flood. Run-off from solar panels, along with the compaction of the clay soil whilst constructing the development, could potentially damage nearby residences.
This industrial development will be a blight on the beautiful countryside landscape. Nearby businesses such as camp grounds, and holiday lets, will struggle to recover.