Posted on

Lime Down Solar Park

Parish residents may be interested in this article about Lime Down Solar Park forwarded by Soffi Bond, and may wish to sign the petition. 

We in Foxley and the surrounding area have just had a bombshell dropped on us – 2000 acres of land is to be turned into a solar park.  It will be two-thirds the size of the whole of Heathrow Airport comprising of one million solar panels.  It covers much of Foxley, Norton, Grittleton, Sherston, Luckington and Hullavington covering green field after green field in beautiful countryside.  Building will take two years but before that it will take over 7 months for HGVs to fill a field full of infrastructure and equipment which is right opposite some friends of ours.  There will be CCTV and high steel fences together with security lights. 

The Daily Mail came to photograph us all protesting last Thursday morning and there was a double-page spread in the Saturday edition of the newspaper in print and online.  There was also a before and after photograph of a neighbour’s house which would be surrounded on three sides by solar panels as far as the eye could see while the fourth side was the lane in front of the house.  Yesterday we heard that the developers intend to tarmac part of the Fosse Way, the Roman road stretching from Exeter to Lincoln which crosses the fields nearby.  They intend to do that in order to reach the fields in Foxley.  Sheer vandalism.  They intend to make it  possible for HGVs to travel down our single track lanes destroying the verges and habitats either side of the lanes.  And of course our houses will all be blighted – our neighbour has already had interest in her lovely home withdrawn because of this threat.

It is a gravy train for several wealthy landowners in the area.  And after 30 years the land will never return to farmland as it will become so depleted it will turn to brownfield development.

Please help us to stop this solar park.  It is so vast the developers have to go to the Secretary of State, not Wiltshire Council, to obtain planning permission.

Please the sign the petition to introduce new restrictions on mega solar facilities to protect land and farmland in particular, food security and to conserve biodiversity.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/651262

We need to get 10,000 signatures at least before we get any traction with government.

The Lime Down Solar Park project website is available here.

Posted on

Road Closure – A4135 Main Road

The A4135 will be closed from Monday 22nd April to Wednesday 24th April (inclusive) for essential Ash Dieback work. The closure is from Calcot on the A46 to the junction with the B4058 to Horsley.

Additional signage to notify Village Only access has been requested to avoid the dire congestion problems experienced in Kingscote with previous closures of the road. Gloucestershire Highways have confirmed that the Ash Dieback team will put out these signs.

Full details of the closure are available here.

Posted on

Kingscote Christmas 2023

Thanks to Soffi Bond for this Charity Brain Teaser (click on the link and download the quiz).

Christmas events at the church in Kingscote:

17th December 9.30am to 11am: Christmas Creations – an active session including treasure hunt, lucky dip, making decorations and a Christingle. We even have party-style refreshments to enjoy, including a big Christingle cake. Fun for all the family. 

19th December at 6pm: Carols by Candlelight service  (note the start time of 6pm- earlier than usual)

25th December at 9.30am: Christmas Day communion service. 

Don’t forget that Christmas cards are on sale at the church which feature photographs from the church stained glass windows so are unique.