Cllr David East backs judicial review of Beacon Fen
The Reform UK county councillor for Heckington is standing with residents as Lincolnshire County Council takes the ~1,600-acre solar scheme in his division to the High Court.
Reform UK county councillor David East has given his full backing to Lincolnshire County Council’s judicial review of the Government’s decision to approve Beacon Fen Energy Park. The scheme sits in Heckington, the division he represents at County Hall.
A scheme on his doorstep
Beacon Fen would cover around 1,600 acres of farmland north of Heckington, near Ewerby, with solar panels, fencing and battery storage, connected to an extended Bicker Fen substation. For the villages around it, that means years of construction traffic, cable routes across the fields and a working landscape turned into an industrial one.
Cllr East has been out speaking to residents and the press about the challenge, making sure the people who live alongside the scheme know their county council is in their corner.
Backing County Hall’s challenge
The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero granted the scheme a Development Consent Order in August 2026, overruling local concerns. Reform UK-led Lincolnshire County Council has now asked the High Court to review that decision — the second time this year County Hall has gone to court to defend Lincolnshire’s countryside, after the Springwell challenge.
Our farmland feeds the nation. It should be growing food, not hosting industrial-scale solar — and decisions this big should not be made in Whitehall over the heads of the communities who have to live with them.
What happens next
The High Court will first decide whether the case can go ahead. Cllr East will keep residents in Heckington division updated as it progresses. You can follow Beacon Fen and every other solar scheme across North Kesteven on our Solar Watch page.
