STOP BOCADDON

No formal planning application has been submitted by Elgin Energy for the proposed 106-acre solar farm and battery development at Bocaddon Farm, near Lanreath.

The project is affected by major changes to the national electricity grid connection system. The current timetable for the relevant phase of grid connection offers runs from October 2026 to March 2027.

We don’t yet know whether the development will proceed, be changed or be abandoned altogether.

But the proposal hasn’t gone away, and neither has our campaign!

The proposed development raises serious concerns about its impact on our countryside, nearby homes, noise, agricultural land, wildlife, heritage and local roads.

We believe these concerns must be properly addressed before any decisions are made.

Find out more in our Key Concerns, Proposed Site and Impact on Views pages.

Our Surrounding Countryside is under Threat.

Local residents only became aware of the proposed 100-acre solar farm when it was reported on the BBC news and television in March 2025. Bocaddon Farm and Elgin Energy had put in a pre-planning application that is not available on the Cornwall Council website.

The following article from the BBC discusses the proposal:

The proposed solar farm will have a detrimental impact on communities across Lanreath and Pelynt. It is equivalent to 69 football pitches.

We are not an anti-solar campaign. We understand and appreciate the aim for net zero, but not at this cost to our beautiful countryside and landscape here in South-East Cornwall. Surely, it’s preferable to site solar panels on car parks, former industrial sites, beside motorways, or on roofs – both agricultural and domestic – in order to retain the land for agricultural purposes?

Our main concerns are:

1. The site is situated in an area designated as an Area of Great Landscape Value and will have a disproportionate and adverse effect on the rural landscape.
2. There will be thousands of solar panels at a height of 4.5 metres across 100 acres, with security fences and CCTV cameras industrialising land currently used to grow crops.
3. The industrial site can’t be screened from view and would result in a dominating impact on its surroundings, being sited alongside the main road to Looe/Polperro/Bodinnick.
4. The inverters and battery storage emit industrial noise pollution of twice the level considered a 'significant adverse impact' and will negatively affect all residents and passers-by.
5. There will be a significant negative impact on wildlife, biodiversity and core woodland areas.
6. Being within the setting of heritage assets, it would cause harm to their significance.
7. The potential for further development once infrastructure is installed.