Proposed Lime Down solar park ‘would cost £1.8m in lost tourism’

A controversial solar farm would cost a local economy nearly £1.8m in lost tourism spending if approved, according to a council document.

The sum would be lost during each year of construction of Lime Down Solar Park, a 878-hectare site north of the M4 near Malmsbury, said Wiltshire Council.

Due to the size of the project, planning permission will be decided by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

Wiltshire Council has prepared a briefing document outlining its criticisms ahead of an extraordinary meeting on 6 January, when councillors will sign off their formal response to the plans. Developer Island Green Power estimates that the project would take two years to build.