Campaigners against the development of a huge solar power station in Inkberrow are concerned about the impact of high-security fencing on wildlife and biodiversity.
It comes after the Roundhill Wood Solar Farm (RWSF) opposition group discovered that more than 6 miles of security fencing is likely to be installed around the 285 acre site.
‘Level 3’ high-security fencing is increasingly required by insurance companies in order to protect solar panels.
Solar panel theft has become one of the fastest growing crimes in the UK.
West Mercia Police revealed that there have already been four thefts from the local solar facility currently under construction in nearby Bishampton since the start of the month.
In January of this year, £100,000 of panels were stolen from another solar power facility in Bretforton, and hundreds of panels were discovered in Evesham and Pershore.
This type of fencing is much more intrusive than the previous deer-proof fences and can severely disrupt the natural movement patterns of wildlife and limit their access to food and water sources.
Phil Coathup from the RWSF opposition group said:
“Our community values local wildlife and we are concerned that Level 3 fencing could lead to habitat fragmentation and negative impacts on biodiversity.
“Some wildlife species may be physically unable to climb or dig under the fence, preventing them from accessing important habitat areas.
“Of course, the adverse visual and other environmental effects of this type of security fencing are way higher than deer-proof and it appears that the Landscape and Visual Impact and other technical assessments submitted by the applicant have not taken this into account.”