The solar panels would cover a 40-acre farm next to Maiden Newton, the village that inspired Chalk Newton in author Thomas Hardy s masterpiece, Tess of the D Urbervilles.
Bookings are expected to soar when an end to lockdown is confirmed
How lucky we are to be surrounded by sea. Even in the dimmest days of lockdown, when we can scarcely venture beyond our own four walls, the seaside has always been ‘there’. For a huge swathe of the population, ‘there’ is the South Coast – around 300 miles of it stretching from Dover in Kent to Lyme Regis on the Devon-Dorset border and accessible not only by car but by train, ferry and even bicycle. The region is packed with show-stopping views and walking routes that include the South Downs Way, the Jurassic Coast, and a loop around the Isle of Wight.
Countryside campaigners after facing a fresh fight with developers to prevent a housing estate being built next to a historic manor that inspired Thomas Hardy.
Objectors including Historic England and the Hardy Society thought they had stopped plans for 120 homes on land close to Wolfeton House, which the Victorian author visited frequently.
Last year a government planning inspector ruled against the development, stating it would cause permanent harm to the landscape near Dorchester, Dorset.
But the developers say the inspector commented that some housing might be acceptable and have now come back with a new plan for 89 properties on the rural plot.