“Campaigners against a solar farm have made an appeal to the Duchess of Cornwall to stop the project after it emerged her son-in-law is a director of the firm behind the scheme.
Opponents of the 40-acre renewable energy project in rural Hertfordshire claim that the solar panels spread across fields to harvest the sun’s rays will scar the landscape and impinge on views from three surrounding villages.
In an apparent attempt to head off the proposals by invoking the influence of mothers-in-law, the campaigners have written to Camilla Parker Bowles, whose daughter Laura is married to Harry Lopes, a director of Solstice Renewables, the company seeking to build the solar farm.
If approved, the firm says its scheme in Knebworth, near Stevenage, would generate 8.5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 2,500 homes and would be screened from surrounding homes on agricultural land used for sheep grazing.
Nick King, a lead opponent whose home sits adjacent to the site of the farm, said: “No-one has an issue with solar farms, but they should be positioned discreetly, well hidden from view and on poor quality soil where they cannot ruin the landscape – as this proposed development certainly does.
“Many local people can’t believe that Camilla would agree with her son-in-law building such an eyesore which will be visible for miles around.”
Mr Lopes, who has a minority shareholding in Solstice Renewables and is one of two executive directors, and his wife married in 2006 at a high-society wedding with around 400 guests, including princes William and Harry.”
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Milmo, Cahal. The Independent 15 September 2014.