Campaigners and a local authority have expressed frustration after permission was granted for a new solar energy facility.

Plans to construct the installation on 49 hectares of farmland adjacent to Lime Kiln Barn along Runcton Lane in Runcton had previously been rejected by the council in May. However, this ruling has now been reversed by the Planning Inspectorate.

A council representative stated that although the authority submitted comprehensive expert testimony during the appeal proceedings, the inspector determined that the removal of high-quality agricultural land and effects on the area’s character were insufficient grounds to reject the proposal.

The council indicated it would collaborate with the developer to ensure all requirements and environmental safeguards are properly enacted.

Opposition came from members of SMART-FFF – the South Mundham and Runcton Trustees – Fields For Food – an organisation of local residents opposed to development on prime agricultural land and within the wildlife corridor.

Spokesperson Mark Linzey commented that community members believed local planning guidance and public objections were being disregarded.

He continued that the ruling represented significant disappointment for local people. It contradicts the recently approved Local Plan, endangers the continuity of Chichester’s eastern wildlife corridor, and takes productive agricultural land out of cultivation for many years at a time when food production has never been more important.

Concerns were also raised about possible effects on flooding in a district already prone to such issues, alongside the strain on narrow country roads that serve not only as transportation routes but as a valued community facility for inhabitants and visitors in an area already experiencing substantial residential expansion.

The application can be viewed at publicaccess.chichester.gov.uk using reference 24/01859/FUL.