Save Norlington Lane

Save Norlington Lane

Save Norlington Lane

Save Norlington Lane

Protect Ringmer's Recreational Space


Using Norlington Lane has been an essential part of village life for more than a 1,000 years. During lockdowns it was alive with Ringmer residents escaping to a small piece of tranquillity. This proposal would destroy the historic and rural nature of this special area forever, and hugely impact many protected bird and animal species. It will also surely set a very dangerous precedent for the industrialisation of other beautiful sites. We believe that renewable energy is INCREDIBLY important but that developments must be appropriately sited on ALREADY industrialised land or roof tops – NOT on the rural Greenfield areas that are so special to this part of Sussex and which are enjoyed by so many.

Don't let Ovesco put more than 50,000 solar panels on it.

The facts about how noisy it will be


Key points to object to

Object to the proposal

Evening strolls back from the pub would have 8ft wire fences and CCTV either side of the footpath to Norlington Lane

  • Substantial impact on leisure use of Norlington Lane
  • Public footpath users have to walk between towering industrial fences
  • Negative landscape impact at very visible location - especially impact of industrial security fencing
  • Loss of productive agricultural land
  • Impact on setting of listed houses along Norlington Lane
  • Glare a hazard for lane users and a blight for houses  – many more than on the solar farm boundary
  • Noise from the ventilation units for the batteries on the quiet lane
  • Concern about battery safety – lithium battery fires are hard to put out and emit toxic fumes
  • Loss of food production (wheat and sweetcorn)
  • Solar panels should be on rooftops and brownfield sites not on green field
  • Traffic from construction workers' vehicles a safety concern on this narrow and windy lane

Latest News

Lewes District Council call for Ovesco to withdraw the application.

Read the statement on the council's website.


Government clarify that Ringmer site in theory should not be used for solar.  Read more

Use Wind not Farmland. Just one next-generation wind turbine offshore at the Rampion Wind Farm would produce 25% more energy, we believe, than the whole of Ovesco’s solar farm without losing important agricultural land growing healthy wheat and sweetcorn.


Ringmer Parish Council votes unanimously to object to the solar farm. But keep objecting to Lewes District Council. Read more...

South Downs National Park Authority object to the proposal.

Ovesco suggest that the green energy they create should be used to power air conditioning units. How green is that? Read the Sussex World article here...


We visit Berwick solar farm - Ovesco hold this up as a great example of what they will achieve on Norlington Lane. It falls far short of the biodiversity heaven we are promised. Read more…


An epidemic of solar farms will only worsen food security. Read more…

Solar Industrial Estate Location



Find out more about the objections

01

Destruction of a key village recreational space


Your tranquil green space will have been replaced by more that 50,000 solar panels that are more than 8ft high and cover an area almost as big as the village. See the map

04

Glare

 

More than 40 groups of properties will be subject to glare from the panels even with new hedges (which will take 15 years to grow).  



02

Loss of good agricultural land


These fields are one of the few local pieces of land that can be used for growing crops. Most of the land in Lewes is too low grade. With the war in Ukraine, wheat and other agricultural products are already being limited. We need to protect our own production. You can't eat electricity!

05

The batteries are unsafe


There are major concerns about the battery units catching fire and the poisonous gas these fires create. There has already been a major incident in Liverpool that is under investigation. MORE...

03

No economic benefit to the village


The solar farm just puts its electricity on the grid and its profits in the investors' and farmer's pockets. The village gets all the blight and no reward. No free or cheap electricity.

06

It's noisy


Norlington Lane is a quiet place. The solar farm includes many air-conditioning plants to keep it cool. Day and night. More...



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