An artist whose work is in the Tate has accused a power company of threatening to ruin a ‘beautiful’ valley that has inspired some of his painting by applying to build 85,000 solar panels there.
The tranquil spot near Boxted in Suffolk has remained virtually unchanged for 600 years and local artist Michael Carlo has been capturing it on canvas since the 1980s.
But Glem Valley is under threat from Renewable Energy Systems (RES), who want to use 100 acres of agricultural land for the 20-megawatt solar farm.
They say the scheme would provide low-cost renewable energy for around 8,900 homes until the 2060s.
But campaigners argue it will ruin the scenery near ancient Lownage Wood and be situated less than 1,000ft from homes.
Mr Carlo, 80, who has also exhibited at the Royal Academy, told the Mail: ‘The area is beautiful. It’s at the end of the Stour valley where Constable was.
‘It’s rolling countryside. To drive down this little valley makes people gasp.
‘There’s barn owls gliding along and fish in the river. All the trees overhang the road, so it’s like going through a tunnel.
Artist Michael Carlo, 80, said of the planned solar farm: ‘There are brownfield sites where there used to be gasworks. There’s lots of other places where you could do it.’
‘It should be used to grow crops for us. There are brownfield sites where there used to be gasworks [that could be used for the solar panels]. There’s lots of other places where you could do it.’
Mr Carlo, who was born a mile from the spot and has lived in his current home overlooking it for 50 years, said it was ‘one of the most beautiful valleys in England, hidden and unknown by so many people’.
He added he ‘never tired of drawing, painting and etching’ it, saying: ‘I hope to continue doing so for many years to come.
‘My garden goes up the valley on the opposite side to where they’re building it.
‘I’ve been drawing that wood on top of the hill [for years] and it’s become more and more abstract.
‘What’s going to happen to it after 40 years? I worry about that. It’s not just what they’re doing now – it’s tomorrow as well.’
RES’s application has triggered 246 objections so far. A petition with 650 names will be handed over at a forthcoming planning meeting.
A spokesman for campaign group Save Glem Valley said: ‘You need only read the personal testimonies published on the Council website to understand the depth of feeling and belonging felt by local people – and visitors from all parts of the country.
The 85,000 solar panels proposed for the Glem Valley in Suffolk would power almost 9,000 homes with renewable energy
‘The location is seen for miles in all directions and Carlo’s landscape is part of the area’s cultural heritage, underscoring the importance of protecting local scenery from industrialisation.’
RES first submitted an application for the massive solar farm in late 2023 but this stalled after 240 public objections were received.
RES subsequently presented new plans to reduce visibility from the Glem Valley, and a landscape plan with new planting to support biodiversity.
Much of the opposition has focused on the suitability of a large greenfield site for such a development, as well as the impact on the local environment, heritage and food production.
Save Glem Valley also claim the solar farm would export energy to the national grid and provide ‘absolutely no benefit’ to the local area.
Panels should instead be installed on the roofs of buildings such as schools, shopping centres, factories and storage buildings, or on brownfield sites, it argues.
Storm Fields, a 1995 etching by Mr Carlo, shows the spot where the solar panels would be placed. Lownage Wood appears near the top of the work
The curves of the valley have inspired some of Mr Carlo’s work. Pictured is Below the Wood, a 2002 oil on board painting
View from Glemsford is a 1976 silkscreen from the talented artist, some of whose works are held at the Tate
The campaign has also complained that a number of other proposed or approved solar farm developments in the area, including in Pentlow, Foxearth and Belchamp, are being assessed individually, meaning their cumulative effect on the landscape and environment is overlooked.
RES, who say the solar panels would ‘form a cornerstone of the UK’s net-zero carbon reduction targets’ and ‘help to improve energy security by generating electricity domestically’, were contacted for a comment.
Senior development manager Claire Chamberlain defended the plans in a previous statement, saying: ‘For over 40 years, RES has been developing, constructing and operating renewable energy projects of outstanding quality.
‘Prior to submission, our Boxted solar farm proposal went through a detailed design process, taking feedback from the local community and stakeholders into account, to ensure it would fit sensitively into the existing landscape, whilst maximising the low-cost electricity generation.
‘The proposal includes a comprehensive landscape management plan, which contains measures that will not only reduce potential visibility of the site but will transform areas into wildflower rich grassland and native woodland blocks.
‘These enhanced habitats will provide vital resources for a wide range of fauna, crucial to a healthy eco-system.’
Mr Carlo, who was born in Suffolk, is a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers.
He has also had solo exhibitions at venues including Bolton Museum, Usher Gallery in Lincoln, Southampton City Art Gallery, Serpentine Gallery and the John Russell Gallery in Ipswich.
Works by Mr Carlo are held by the Tate gallery, Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle and London Transport.
