Billionaire former Tory donor to build solar farm on 18th-century manor
A billionaire former Tory donor is aiming to build a solar farm on his 18th-century manor estate in Wiltshire to provide power for his 100-bed mansion.
Chris Rokos, one of Britain's leading hedge fund managers, is seeking planning permission to install around 1,100 solar panels on land close to the historic Tottenham House near Marlborough.
The centuries-old house, which is Grade I listed, is one of England's grandest stately homes.
Under the plans, two acres of the manor estate – currently used for grazing dairy cows and silage – would be developed to house solar panels. These would provide nearly one third of the power required to run the estate.
A 'drainage lagoon' is also planned next to the panels, storing water collected during the winter for use in the summer.
The 42-acre site, which sits within the northern edge of the sprawling 4,500 Savernake Estate, is located next to a public footpath and shielded by trees.
Large-scale commercial solar farms, which often span thousands of acres, have become controversial in some parts of the country – as increasing numbers of farmers sell their land to solar companies.
Tottenham Estates, the group behind the planning application, played down the impact of the solar development on the landscape, claiming it was unlike a commercial solar farm.
In a message to local residents, it said the proposed array of solar panels would be of 'modest scale, a little over a hectare in size and completely unlike any commercial solar farm' and argued its 'low-profile will render it difficult to see'.
Representatives acting on behalf of Mr Rokos also said in their proposals that the solar farm would create a 'sustainable form of power and water' to enable the estate's 'functional operation'.
Wiltshire Council is expected to make a decision on the solar panels in July.
Mr Rokos, who is worth an estimated £2.3bn, was previously a donor to the Conservative Party, giving the party around £2m between 2009 and 2015. He made his last donation in 2018.
He runs Rokos Capital, a hedge fund in London which he founded a decade ago.
The tycoon has been working to restore Tottenham House into a family home, launching a series of ambitious construction projects – including a tennis pavilion, cinema room and an underground tunnel connecting the main house to the stables.
However, the vast restoration project has run into various obstacles. One of his proposals – for an 'accessway' for agricultural purposes – was withdrawn last November following a formal complaint over concerns that works had been carried out without the necessary approvals.
Separately, architects last month discovered fungi in the mansion's walls, reporting signs of 'complete decay' in some of its plasterwork with 'dry/and wet rot fruiting bodies' in the wall cavities, according to planning documents.
Tottenham House was part of the Savernake Estate, once a royal hunting forest with significant links to Henry VIII.
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