Miliband accused of ‘trashing countryside’ as he approves plans for Labour donor’s mega 500 hectare solar farm

Critics have accused Miliband of favouring the wealthy Labour donor, raising questions about the relationship between the Energy Secretary and the Ecotricity businessman.

The 524-hectare development has sparked intense local debate in Lincolnshire.

Colin Davie, executive councillor for environment, economy and planning at Lincolnshire County Council, questioned the Energy Secretary's transparency regarding the project.

"We need to ask the question of the Secretary of State as to whether he has declared the nature of his relationship with Dale Vince, the applicant for this site and the Labour Party's biggest donor," said Davie.

The councillor accused Miliband of "trashing the countryside" with the solar farm approval.

Local councillor Marc Williams branded the decision "disgraceful" and highlighted Vince's position as a Labour donor.

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"The only people these developments benefit are the people who are behind these businesses," Williams said.

Local opposition has centred on the transformation of valuable farmland into industrial energy sites.

The Heckington approval comes alongside Miliband's green light for another solar development, the West Burton solar farm.

The two projects combined will cover more than 1,000 hectares of Lincolnshire land with solar panels.

Developers claim the installations will generate enough power for hundreds of thousands of homes.

The approvals form part of Miliband's broader strategy to expand Britain's green energy capacity and achieve clean power by 2030.

However, the scale of development has alarmed local communities, who fear the rapid industrialisation of their rural landscape.

Local opposition has focused heavily on the environmental and community impact of the developments.

Colin Davie said the decision showed how the Government "has not listened to our residents".

"Quite frankly these decisions are another slap in the face for Lincolnshire, and the government must start considering the cumulative impacts of all these proposals in our county," he added.

Frances Innes, a resident of Navenby village, expressed alarm at the pace of development.

"This is so frightening on how many and how fast these applications are been put forward, these villages are just been swallowed up and suffocated. What is so frustrating is not been listened too," she said.

Critics have particularly emphasised concerns about the loss of prime agricultural land.

"Lincolnshire has the best agricultural land in the UK. No land [of this nature] should be used for anything other than farming," said Marc Williams.

He warned that Britain is "already beholden to other countries for a significant amount of the UK food supply."

Local authorities advocate for alternative locations for solar installations.

"We must stop the industrialisation of the Lincolnshire countryside," said Colin Davie, adding that residents support installing solar panels on "rooftops and brownfield sites" instead.

A Government spokesperson said:

“Political donations have no influence over how planning applications are considered. There’s a rigorous process in place to ensure that all planning decisions are taken in accordance with the necessary propriety rules and weigh up only material planning considerations in the decision."

“In accordance with this process, the Energy Secretary recused himself from this decision, which was delegated to Lord Hunt. Solar power is crucial to delivering our clean energy mission and we make no apology for supporting the development of clean energy infrastructure to provide cheap energy and protect households’ bills.”