Meeting held at Leadenham Village Hall by Telis Energy UK to discuss plans for 2,400-acre Leoda Solar Farm land between Leadenham, Brant Broughton, and Welbourn

Defiant residents told solar farm developers they didn’t want a scheme anywhere near their village at a busy public meeting.

Plans for the 2,400-acre Leoda Solar Farm were unveiled last month for land between Leadenham, Brant Broughton and Welbourn.

Leadenham village hall was filled to capacity as residents got their first proper look at the plans at the event on Tuesday evening (February 4).

The overwhelming consensus was that designs were “too big and too vague”.

One man angrily confronted representatives of Telis Energy UK, who are behind the scheme, saying: “We don’t want it – you’re not welcome here,” and branded the meeting a “PR stunt”.

The proposed solar farm would produce between 500 and 600MW, meaning it would be capable of powering thousands of homes.

Telis say they want feedback and local knowledge to help improve the plans.

Tim Willbond, who lives in Leadenham, said: “It’s necessary to move to sustainable energy – the issue is the scale.

“These plans seems completely out of proportion, and would have a massive impact on the countryside. If they were scaled down, they might be acceptable.

“People are aggrieved that Lincolnshire is getting solar farms of this size, when places like Kent have ones a quarter the size.”

He said the battery storage systems would result in “big ugly installations” in the countryside.

Resident Steve Harwood said the concept was “disgraceful”.

“The whole area will look very different. Why put the panels on a beautiful part of the countryside like this?

“This is a box checking exercise for the developer. They think it’s a foregone conclusion.”

Another local woman said she was disappointed by the lack of detail in the plans.

“They don’t seem to have all the answers – there are a lot of grey areas on the map where they’re saying ‘maybe’,” she said.

“I was hoping there would be questions and answers, but there doesn’t seem to be anything concrete.”

Another man who had lived in Leadenham his whole life said: “It’s going to spoil the whole area’s ecology – the hillside will be a giant mirror.

“The amount of rubbish unused land around the UK, and they choose here? It doesn’t make sense.”

However Alex Herbert, the head of planning behind the project, said reception from the community hadn’t been too negative.

“Most people are asking questions and haven’t made up their minds, although you always expect a few objectors,” he said.

He said Lincolnshire was chosen as it is flat, sparsely populated and has lots of sunshine, with a grid connection nearby.

Telis says that solar farms are “vital” in the transition to Net Zero and provide opportunities to invest in the environment and local communities. Find more information or send feedback on the project’s website.

The next round of consultation will be held later this year as the plans are refined.