Newmarket racing community pledges to fight proposals for new solar farm

The racing industry in Newmarket is facing another fight with a developer – this time over a proposed 2,800-acre solar farm, which could neighbour the world famous Limekilns training grounds.

Only two years after losing the battle against the Hatchfield Farm housing development, high-profile organisations such as the Jockey Club, Tattersalls and Godolphin have come together to back the Say No To Sunnica campaign, which was mobilised in 2020.

The developer Sunnica has submitted an application to government to install solar panels on greenfield sites across much of the East Cambridgeshire/West Suffolk border, which would create the biggest solar farm in Britain.

Those against the plans, who include local MPs Matt Hancock and Lucy Frazer, say the scheme is not about trading electricity from the grid. Sunnica is proposing a battery energy storage system which opponents say will allow it to buy electricity cheaply from the grid during the day, store it, and sell it back to the grid at night when demand is high. Campaigners are also concerned about the loss of irrigated agricultural farmland.

Parts of the proposed farm would be visible from training areas such as the Limekilns and Railwayland and would be next door to Godolphin's Chippenham Hill training grounds, regularly used by Saeed bin Suroor. Brookside Stud in nearby Badlingham faces the prospect of having industrial batteries close to its border with one of the sites.

Rachael Hood: the former Newmarket mayor is an opponent of 'damaging development'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Both East Cambridge County Council and West Suffolk Council are also against the plans. WSC councillor and former Newmarket mayor Rachel Hood said: "I believe that this is a damaging development and it's inexplicable that 2,800 acres of prime farmland would be allocated for inefficient solar panels.

"I've no doubt it would have a detrimental effect on the horseracing industry. If Newmarket wants to remain the world centre of horseracing it can't afford to have Sunnica as its neighbour."

Such renewable projects, part of the government's target to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050, are deemed National Significant Infrastructure Projects and their approval is down to the secretary of state rather than local bodies.

Sunnica Energy Farm proposed layout

A spokesperson for Sunnica said: "We are bringing forward our proposals for Sunnica Energy Farm to meet an urgent national need for new sources of renewable energy generation. Our site selection process and assessments have found the sites to be a suitable location for a solar development of this size.

"In preparing our application for development consent, Sunnica has undertaken an environmental impact assessment which is included in its application documentation. This has considered the environmental impacts of the scheme. We're aiming to bring about an improvement in biodiversity through this project, which will rest the land for a period of time."

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