Charla Fisk, a pensioner from East Wellow, Hampshire, won a seven-year legal battle against Test Valley Borough Council to prevent a solar farm development near her home. She spent £100,000 of her own money, challenging the council in the Court of Appeal after they approved a 46-megawatt solar project, contravening planning conditions. Despite concerns over food security and use of farmland, Fisk’s victory is hailed as a “landmark” decision. Although her late husband feared bankruptcy, she persevered, hoping to restore the land and raise awareness about the planning process among local residents. The council is weighing its next steps.
A pensioner has won a seven-year battle against the development of a solar farm next to his village home, spending £100,000 of his own money in a bitter legal battle against the council.
Charla Fisk won a “landmark” David vs. Goliath battle by taking her local council to the Court of Appeal to stop an eco project from proceeding.
Her husband, a retired mathematician, briefly feared he would go bankrupt after going to war with the council over plans to turn land in the historic hamlet of East Wellow, Hampshire, into a solar power station.
“I’m retired. I’m an OAP. I don’t like being bullied,” the 78-year-old said as she celebrated her victory without her late husband, who passed away before sentencing earlier this year.
In 2017, Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) announced plans for a 46-megawatt solar farm that could power up to 14,000 homes, including more than 80,000 ground-mounted solar panels and a substation. Approved for the first time.
The village of 3,000 people, where Florence Nightingale is buried, dates back to the Domesday Book, and houses regularly sell for more than £800,000.
Fisk, a Thai native who has lived next to the field since 1982, opposed solar power generation from the beginning, believing the farmland would be better used for food production.
“The problem I had was that this country couldn’t provide its own food,” she said. “We have about 40 percent food security, but if a war breaks out and we get close to it, we won’t be able to do anything.
Charla Fisk ended her David vs. Goliath battle with a “landmark” victory by taking local councils to the Court of Appeal to stop the project from proceeding. The photo is a field marked for development
“We know we can’t even go to war. So food security on the island is very, very important, it’s really important.”
The UK government website states that the country is “heavily reliant on imports to meet consumer demand for fruit, vegetables and seafood”, while domestic production of food available in the UK is said to be about 60%.
Mrs. Fisk added: “I’m not really against solar power. I’m against it because it’s on good land.”
Mrs Fisk challenged the council in the High Court in 2023 and won when a judge ruled that amendments to the Woodington solar farm were inconsistent with planning conditions introduced in 2017.
The Council dismissed the appeal against this judgment on 10 December 2024.
Mrs Fisk hailed the “landmark judgment” and said the seven-year battle had cost her £100,000. This means he spent all the money he earned when he was laid off at the end of the century.
She said, “TVBC must have spent as much money.” In fact, they had two lawyers and I only had one.
“I’m probably the first person to do something like that to them, so they’re trying to use me as an example not to do something like that, but unfortunately I’m the first person to do something like that to them.” It is wrong to do so.”
Mr Fisk said the seven-year battle had caused £100,000 of damage. Photo: Hive Energy sign at the area gate
“He didn’t even want me to do it because he thought I was going to go bankrupt,” said Fisk, whose husband Anthony Fisk, 78, died in April this year.
She said she felt residents’ ignorance about the planning process was being “exploited” and that although she was “not a lawyer” she had informed herself by reading the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
In the future, the hope is to undo development of the solar farm that has already taken place, including the restoration of sidewalks that were partially removed in the area to make way for heavy goods vehicles. There is.
“This decision is important for the legal scheme of things,” said Fisk’s lawyer, Sarah Hanrahan of Blake Morgan.
“We are very pleased to have secured this result for our client, who fought long and hard to win this landmark judgment.”
Local Conservative councilor Nick Adams-King said TVBC was currently considering its options.
“It’s been seven or eight years since (the application) was first filed,” he said. “Times have changed, and I think over the last eight years the need for energy infrastructure and the need for energy security has changed as well.
“So, even though it’s large in scale, I think it’s moving forward and a positive thing from that perspective.” It would have been better if it hadn’t been built where it has been built before. ”
A spokesperson for Test Valley Borough Council said: “The council is currently reviewing the Test Valley Council v. Fisk case relating to the construction of a solar farm at Woodington, East Wellow, before deciding whether to: “We are considering the Court of Appeal’s decision in the case.” Action needs to be taken. ”