Plans for a solar farm near Glastonbury have been thrown out by Somerset Council over fears it would blight the landscape and pose flood and wildlife risks.

The application for a 1.23 MWp solar PV array off Middle Drove was refused on multiple grounds, with planners warning the industrial-style scheme would harm the flat, rural character of the site.

In its official decision notice, the council blasted the proposal's scale, design and siting as "incongruous," adding that hedgerow planting intended to screen the site would actually make it stand out more. It ruled the scheme broke local policies on landscape, biodiversity, flood risk and ecology.

Critics also highlighted missing wildlife data. Surveys for bats, birds, water voles, newts and key plant species were not submitted, meaning the council couldn't rule out ecological harm.

The plan also failed to prove it would deliver the required 10% Biodiversity Net Gain or that no safer, lower-flood-risk sites were available nearby. A flawed drainage strategy and out-of-date climate assumptions added to the rejection.

The refusal means the Middle Drove project — pitched as a community energy farm — cannot go ahead in its current form.

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