National Trust opposes plans for Sorel solar farm

Monday 10 July 2023

The National Trust is opposing plans by Jersey Electricity to build a solar farm on a cluster of fields at Sorel in St John, due to the proposed site being located in Jersey's Coastal National Park.

The charity says it is "broadly supportive" of renewable energy schemes, but argues that this project will have a "substantial adverse impact on the appearance of the beautiful landscape at Sorel and the surrounding area”.

Jersey Electricity lodged a planning application in May following more than six months of public consultation. 

It wants to lease eight fields southwest of Ronez Quarry for 40 years in order to construct and run a ground-mounted solar farm capable of generating enough energy to power more than 1,500 homes.

If approved, JE says that the land would remain in agricultural use but would be used for grazing rather than growing seed potatoes, although it adds that four of the fields could still be used for growing crops.

The solar panels would cover an area of approximately 12.7 acres, 5.1 hectares or 50 vergées, the equivalent of around five football pitches. 

Pictured: The site of the planned solar farm close to Sorel Point.

It is one of a number of farms that JE hope to build around the island. It already has permission for one in St. Clement.

If all sites are approved, they would collectively generate 25 MW of electricity, equivalent to 5% of the island’s annual demand.

However, the National Trust – which campaigns to protect the island’s natural and historic environment – believes that the benefits of the solar array are outweighed by its “adverse impact”.

In a public comment on the application, the Trust argues: “Notwithstanding the significant amount of work which the applicant has done to undertake its site selection [...] analysis, we think it is unfortunate that this project, the second major solar farm proposed by the applicant, is to be undertaken in the Coastal National Park, which under the Bridging Island Plan is supposed to have the highest possible levels of protection against development.

“We believe that notwithstanding the measures set out in the application to minimise, mitigate and compensate for the impact on the Coastal National Park, we believe that there will be a substantial adverse impact on the appearance of the beautiful landscape at Sorel and the surrounding area.

“We believe that this adverse impact could be avoided by the applicant choosing to undertake its solar development in a less sensitive areas than this one of the 58 other sites identified in the site selection analysis.”

JE has also recently unveiled plans to build two solar farms in St. Mary.