Elgin Energy applied in December 2021 to build a new solar farm north of Tropiquaria Zoo on the A39, near the village of Washford, on land owned by the Wyndham Estate. Somerset Council’s planning committee west (which makes decisions on major applications for the former Somerset West and Taunton area) threw out the plans in July 2023, citing the damage to protected landscapes and the loss of high-quality agricultural land. But this decision has now been reversed by the Planning Inspectorate , with the outgoing MP branding the new solar farm “a memorial to corporate greed”.
The solar farm will span several fields north of the Washford transmitting station, running from the B3190 Washford Hill to the Mineral Line active travel route, which connects Washford to the nearby town of Watchet. Elgin Energy (which first consulted on the proposals back in May 2018) said the solar farm would provide around 25 million kWh of electricity per year – enough to provide power for 7,500 households. A battery energy storage site will also be created near the site, allowing Elgin Energy to store surplus energy and sell it back to the National Grid at peak times.
The site of a proposed solar farm to the north of Tropiquaria Zoo. (Image: Google Street View) In addition to opposition from local residents, the solar farm was also strongly criticised by CPRE Somerset, the Exmoor National Park and the Quantock Hills National Landscape organisation. Somerset Council’s planning committee west .
