The Project
Development Description
The image below illustrates the extent of the panels and the location of the battery energy storage compound in the middle of the site, that was consented in the April 2025 planning permission. It also shows the intended planting and wildlife enhancements as well as the allowances that need to be made for various cables, pipes and overhead lines that pass across the site.
The project will consist of the construction of PV panels mounted on metal frames. The solar panels will be fixed tilt, bi-facial, ground mounted arrays. They are not anticipated to exceed 3m in height and will be pile driven into the ground to a maximum depth of 1-2 metres. This comprises a ‘pin-prick’ effect which is considered to cause minimal ground disturbance and reduce potential impacts on unknown sub-surface archaeology. The panels will have a non-reflective surface, which will increase the proportion of radiation absorbed, removing the risk of unwanted reflection and glare.
Bi-facial panels generate power from both front and rear surfaces, increasing the production of renewable energy when compared to a conventional solar panel.
Section 73 Amended Design
As a result of the design work that has taken place with the cable connection to the substation we need to modify the design of the solar farm to accommodate different equipment in the central substation compound.
This design change allows fewer cables to be installed and in a narrower trench between the site and the grid substation.
The alteration to the design covers the addition of a high voltage grid transformer into the central compound of the site, and the merging of the electrical equipment that was in the original design, into a single steel frame type building. We have also included some additional planting to thicken out the hedgerows and trees that were next to the compound, to further screen the equipment.
During the construction phase, the transformer will need to be delivered to site, along with a crane to lift it, and this will be a large delivery. The transformer will be delivered by an articulated lorry, which will be sensitively scheduled within the construction programme.
The battery compound has been repositioned within its previous fenceline, but all the separations and protections set out in the Fire Safety Plan, submitted with the original application, remain in place. There has been no change to the extent or number of solar panels.
The Proposed Scheme
Please click on the image to enlarge
Project Details
The solar panels are wired together and connected to the various green container-like structures scattered across the array (referring to the image above). In turn these containers will be connected to a central gathering point, next to the battery area in the middle of the site. The battery energy storage scheme will be contained within its own secure compound and the cables for this will join the cables from the solar farm at the gathering location.
From this point an underground cable will connect the project to the local electricity network at the nearby Salle substation. This connecting cable will be subject to a separate planning application and the details can be found here.
In addition to these main features of the site, there will be: tracks to enable vehicle access to the key components; gates, CCTV and fencing to keep the site secure; drainage management and fire control systems.
Around the edges of the fields there will be new and improved hedges, with wildflower and grass mixes planted in the spaces between the hedges and the panels. There will also be larger blocks of native tree planting to increase the scale and variety of habitats, whilst also providing visual screening of the solar farm.
