Rutland MP Alicia Kearns opposes Mallard Pass solar farm near Stamford

An MP has set out her opposition to the Mallard Pass solar farm proposal near Stamford.

Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland, has written to Canadian Solar and Windel Energy, setting out her opposition to their 2,175-acre development plan.

She also urges them to rethink what is on the drawing board.

It comes after Stamford Town Council also opposed the plans.

Mallard Pass, if built in an area which lies across the Rutland-Lincolnshire border near Essendine, Ryhall and Carlby would be the UK’s largest solar farm - in fact, several times larger than any already built.

Ms Kearns (Con) believes the proposed development would cause significant damage to the natural environment in terms of the agricultural land, wildlife and the risk of flooding.

She also believes it will create additional traffic on Rutland’s rural roads and in communities surrounding the proposed solar farm.

Ms Kearns has already written to all local councillors in the areas of Rutland that would be most affected, to arrange a visit to the site.

She said: "Rutlanders have a deep desire to play our part in building a more sustainable energy future, for Rutland and our country.

“The 2,175-acre Mallards Pass Solar Farm is not the answer.

"At eight times the size of the largest current solar farm in the UK, its sheer size is wholly inappropriate for our community, wholly inappropriate in its construction on high quality agricultural land rather than brown belt, and would be destructive to our communities, our local wildlife and environment and our way of life.”

In mid-November, when the Mallard Pass plans were announced, Stamford and Bourne MP Gareth Davies (Con) said he was "monitoring this application very closely given the scale of the plans" and he encouraged residents and stakeholders to take part in a six-week public consultation, which ended on Thursday last week.