A:

We carefully selected the site entrance and access route in order to avoid small country lanes.

We surveyed traffic movements on the B1145 at two locations near the site entrance and the average of movements between the two locations, over the same days as we are proposing construction works across, was 2,277 per day. The range between the highest and lowest number of movements per day was 794 at location 1 and 1020 at location 2.

During the phase of peak construction traffic activity, we estimate up to 4,600 movements occurring over two months, which translates to an increase of only 112 movements per day, or 4.9% of the daily traffic. 

For the rest of the construction period, vehicle movements will be much lower.

A: Most of the cable laying works for the offshore wind farms at the project site are scheduled for 2025. If consented, the solar farm construction will occur from late 2026 into 2027, resulting in minimal overlap. The cable laying works have been considered in the cumulative assessments for the application.

A: Unfortunately, the electricity types in the cables are incompatible. Offshore wind cables use Direct Current (DC), while the solar farm exports Alternating Current (AC), and the two cannot be directly connected.

Additionally, the offshore wind corridor does not align with the direction we need to connect to the Salle substation to export to the national grid

A: We will connect to the Salle substation, just northwest of Cawston, and this has been agreed upon with UK Power Networks. The connection will be made via underground cables, not overhead lines.

We are exploring several routes following the highway or crossing fields that avoid ecological areas or sensitive sites. The cable connection is not included in this application to prioritise the

planning decision for the main site. Once the best route is determined, it will be subject to its own planning application.

A: No, the solar farm and surrounding land management will create more diverse habitats compared to regular crop fields. The field boundaries will be enhanced with supplemental planting of meadow grass seed mixes on 10-meter -wide strips either side of the trees and hedges.

No trees will be removed, and over one kilometre of new or improved hedgerows will be established, along with bird and bat boxes added in. These measures will support a variety of plant, invertebrate, animal and bird species.

A: We have surveyed the site and identified around 10 setts, with 40% being main established setts and the rest outlier setts. The project is designed to avoid most setts, except for one outlier in the east, which will be closed under a working license from Natural England. Once operational, badgers will no doubt reestablish setts across the site, with suitably sized mammal gaps in the solar area fence to allow them to move freely across the site.

A: Yes, grazing sheep under the panels is a great cooperative use of the land. The sheep keep the grass and weeds down, and the panels provide shelter. The panels are set at a minimum height of 800mm from the ground (about 2 and half feet) to ensure free movement for the animals. If no sheep are available, the area will need periodic mowing to prevent anything growing so tall it starts shading the panels. Mowing/grazing also helps maintain the habitat for the wild grass and flower seed mix sown under the panels.

A: Qualified drainage engineers have assessed the site, and no problematic runoff is expected. Moving away from arable farming will improve the soil’s ability to hold and slow water movement.

The panel installation will not cause significant water flow concentration due to gaps between panels allowing water to pass between them. Sheep grazing would be at a low level and would not alter the chemical composition of nearby watercourses. Water movement is expected to be slowed and captured by the soil and established vegetation.

A: The location of renewable energy projects is dictated by the availability of electrical capacity onto the national grid. Capacity and a viable connection was identified at the Salle substation near the applicant’s land. We reviewed the suitability of the land against planning criteria and found it comparable or better than other areas that could connect to the substation within the same distance (which is near the limit of how far you can be from the grid connection point).

A: The project area is primarily a combination of grades 3a and 3b agricultural land, with some grade 2 and represents approximately 24% of the wider landholding which will continue to be farmed. This land is used for producing common commodity crops (of which the UK is an exporter of) and non-specialist crops which can be grown in many areas across the country.

The Climate Change Committee estimates that we will need 90GW of solar by 2050 (70GW by 2035), which would mean solar farms would at most account for approximately 0.6% of UK land – less than the amount currently occupied by golf courses.

A: Yes, only a very small percentage of the site will have hard standing. The rest of the solar array will have small metal bars supporting the panel framework. At the project’s end, the bars can be removed, and the topsoil, which was taken off during construction and safely stored, can be reapplied.  The soil is expected to be in good condition for agriculture after 40 years without routine compaction, cultivation including chemical application.  There have been many decisions from Planning Inspectors confirming that solar farms do not represent permanent loss of agricultural land.

A: The battery compound itself covers approximately 0.4 acres at the site’s centre.

Batteries work well with solar farms because they are able to hold the electricity that is generated during the middle of the day and then deliver it to the grid at the peak of daily demand, which occurs in late afternoon and early evening. Batteries can also work independently of the solar panels to help provide stability and other general services to the grid which helps maintain the quality and security of regional electricity supplies.

A: Fires at grid-connected battery facilities are rare, with only one documented case in the UK.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have been consulted throughout the design phase to ensure preventive measures and assistance provisions are in place. The site layout follows international safety standards and national fire service guidance, and it has been designed to minimise any impact from such an event.

A: The nearest operational solar farms of comparable size are at the old airfield at RAF Coltishall, 32MW, at NR10 5AQ and the West Raynham scheme near Fakenham, 50MW, at NR21 7PD. Pettywell is proposed to be a 40MW scheme.

A: Albanwise own a 30MW Copley solar Farm in Nottinghamshire & in East Yorkshire, have planning permission for 2 solar farms of 40MW & 50MW. Albanwise also own an 18MW wind farm in West Yorkshire and several battery sites. The team have been involved in building and operating more than 10 solar farms in England and Wales.

A: The site is not in the Green Belt, so it does not have any additional protection other than it is considered countryside. Large solar farms will need to be located in the countryside as there is insufficient brownfield land available.

A: The site will need to be fenced off but small mammal gates in the fencing allow mammals to traverse the whole site.

A: There is currently no public access to the site so nothing changes in this regard.