top of page
Search

South Shropshire Residents Launch Campaign to Halt 130-Acre Solar Farm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

27 June 2026



Walton and Vernolds Common

Residents of Walton and Vernolds Common, near Craven Arms, are formally opposing plans by developer ILOS to build a 22 megawatt solar farm on Grade 1 and 2 agricultural land between the two communities. The site has been farmed sustainably without chemicals for over 50 years and is home to eight confirmed skylark breeding territories, barn owls monitored by the Shropshire Barn Owl Group for two decades, and, ancient oaks and rich hedgerow habitats.

The campaign group Keep Shropshire Beautiful has commissioned independent wildlife surveys, engaged local MP Stuart Anderson and ward councillors John Dickin and Colin Stanford, and is submitting a formal planning objection ahead of an application expected in November 2026. The group is also challenging Shropshire Council’s decision that no Environmental Impact Assessment is required, arguing that the council’s own screening documents contradict that conclusion.


A County-Wide Pattern

The Walton campaign is not fighting alone. Shropshire is increasingly being targeted by solar developers drawn to the county’s available grid connections and large areas of open farmland.

In March 2026, residents near Much Wenlock celebrated when developer Island Green Power abandoned the Ironbridge Solar project, a 600-acre proposal on the Bourton estate south-east of the town. Stuart Anderson MP had raised the campaign’s concerns on the floor of the House of Commons, telling Parliament he had not found a single constituent who supported the plans.

Months later, a new campaign has launched against a proposed 30 megawatt solar farm on 58 hectares of productive farmland between Telford and Newport near Lilleshall. Around 60 residents gathered in protest. Lilleshall Parish Council chair Bob Taylor described the plan as “crazy,” noting it would cover an area equivalent to the entire footprint of the village. Local councillor Andrew Eade called it “yet another onslaught” on farmland.


“The Wrong Place”

Rachel Pitt, spokesperson for Keep Shropshire Beautiful, said: “We are watching the same story play out across Shropshire. Developers are targeting our countryside because the grid capacity is there and the land is available, but nobody is asking the communities who live here. Much Wenlock won their fight. We intend to win ours.”

The campaign’s objection raises concerns about the loss of Grade 1 and 2 farmland, the impact on protected species including Schedule 1 barn owls and Red List skylarks, significant local archaeology including a deserted 13th-century settlement, the inability of narrow rural lanes to withstand years of construction traffic, and the visual impact on the setting of the Shropshire Hills National Landscape.


Get Involved

Public meeting: Tuesday 4 August, 5pm to 7pm, Onibury Village Hall. All are welcome.




ENDS


Notes to editors: For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact Tom Middleton, tom@lushfilms.co 07946 481073

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page