Following a site visit by Senedd Member Peter Fox MS to the proposed 304-acre solar farm development in Monmouthshire, local County Councillor Fay Bromfield has reiterated strong opposition to the project and urged decision-makers to prioritise community voices and long-term land stewardship.
Both Cllr Bromfield and Peter Fox MS have publicly expressed concern about the development, which would transform over 300 acres of productive farmland and rural landscape into an industrial-scale solar array. During his visit, Mr. Fox witnessed firsthand the sheer scale and potential local impact of the proposal.
“This project is totally disproportionate for our rural community,” said Cllr Bromfield. “It threatens the character of the countryside, risks our food security, and offers little meaningful benefit to the people who actually live here. I am grateful to Peter for joining me on the visit, and being able to see the project and potential impacts firsthand.”
The solar development has drawn criticism for its proposed size, lack of community consultation to date, and the precedent it may set for future projects in rural Monmouthshire. While both Cllr Bromfield and Peter Fox MS support the principle of renewable energy, they are united in their belief that it must not be at the cost of prime farmland.
“We’re not against solar power—but this is the wrong scale in the wrong place,” Cllr Bromfield continued. “Monmouthshire is bearing a disproportionate burden for meeting national targets, and it’s time to push back on developments that don’t respect our communities or our countryside.”
“It’s time the Welsh Government took seriously the damage being done to rural areas in the name of sustainability. We can do clean energy the right way—this just isn’t it.”
One of the residents who will be affected by the plans for the solar farm has spoken out against the impact the panels would have on the surrounding area.
“We fully support the transition to renewable energy, but the proposed 304-acre Candwr solar farm is simply the wrong scheme in the wrong place. It would industrialise miles of open countryside, cut through some of the best farmland in Wales, and surround homes, footpaths, and heritage landscapes with steel, fencing, and surveillance infrastructure for 40 years.
“This is not a community project—it’s a private, profit-driven development by a multinational energy company, and it threatens to divide our rural communities, disrupt wildlife habitats, and place serious pressure on our already fragile road network.
“The developers have not engaged with local people in a meaningful way. The scale of this scheme is breathtaking, yet there is no commitment to an Environmental Impact Assessment. That is simply unacceptable.
“As residents, we are standing together to ask the Welsh Government and Planning Inspectors to protect our countryside, our biodiversity, and our right to live in a healthy, safe, and tranquil environment. We urge decision-makers to listen, to visit the site, and to recognise that renewable energy must be pursued in harmony with people and place—not at their expense.”