JBM Solar has filed a planning application for a 287 Acre Industrial Solar Plant in Inkberrow (Wychavon Planning Application - W/23/00270/FUL)

RWSFOG has been created by concerned locals. We are not against renewables - in the right place. We believe solar panels should be erected on brownfield sites, industrial buildings and made mandatory on new residential builds. JBM Solar should not be destroying our countryside, and historical heritage sites, to facilitate these industrial units.

It is important to note that JBM Solar will not be developing the site - they are merely applying for planning permission so that they can offload the ‘oven ready’ project into a developer. They will then cash in, and walk away. The developer will then install the site and sell on to an energy or investment company - and they will walk away too. Where will JBM Solar's promises and commitments end up when things inevitably go wrong? Probably in the law courts. The landowners are based in Jersey and the Isle of Man and JBM Solar are at 54 Main St, Dundrum, Dublin, E8P8 - which gives them all many UK tax avoidance benefits.

Click here to join the campaign.Help us protect our countryside.
Join us

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.

Click here to send a letter to RWE and ask them to withdraw the scheme
Full planning application has now been filed with Wychavon. The Application Number is W/23/00270/FUL. 

Click here to see our objection letters
ImageImage
To view the full site plan, please click on the image above.

JBM Solar has filed a planning application for a 287 Acre Industrial Solar Plant in Inkberrow (Wychavon Planning Application - W/23/00270/FUL)

The proposed site will be located between Stockwood and Stock Green, consisting of battery storage facilities that buy and sell energy from the grid (from renewable and non-renewable sources). The facility will feature forty-plus (40+) batteries and inverters dotted around the site.

RWSFOG has been created by concerned locals. We are not against renewables - in the right place. We believe solar panels should be erected on brownfield sites, industrial buildings and made mandatory on new residential builds. JBM Solar should not be destroying our countryside, and historical heritage sites, to facilitate these industrial units.

It is important to note that JBM Solar will not be developing the site - they are merely applying for planning permission so that they can offload the ‘oven ready’ project into a developer. They will then cash in, and walk away. The developer will then install the site and sell on to an energy or investment company - and they will walk away too. Where will JBM Solar's promises and commitments end up when things inevitably go wrong? Probably in the law courts. The landowners are based in Jersey and the Isle of Man and JBM Solar are at 54 Main St, Dundrum, Dublin, E8P8 - which gives them all many UK tax avoidance benefits.

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.

Over 4000 HGV's will be required for the construction, with unsuitable, narrow and sometimes forded roads being utilised for transport of the panels and construction equipment.

"Not a suitable site for this proposal." - Wychavon Conservation Officer

Pile drivers are used to insert posts into the ground that the Solar array will sit on. Thousands of these will need to be installed for the solar farm, and it will be heard by wildlife and residents for miles around.

You can view the video below to hear how loud the inverters are whilst running. This sound will affect bats and other wildlife.