Permission for a new 123 acre solar farm have been proposed for land near Yate. RWE, the UK’s leading power generator and developer of the proposed Mousewell Solar Farm project, has submitted a planning application for its sustainable power project near Yate to South Gloucestershire Council.
The solar panel is proposed for agricultural land located to the south of Yate and Chipping Sodbury, which is around 123 acres. Subject to planning approval, the project would be capable of generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of over 10,000 homes every year.
The planning application follows a public consultation which saw letters and feedback forms sent to 2,567 people in the area and an in person consultation which 67 people attended. According to RWE’s report, which they submitted to the council, written pre-application consultation feedback following the public exhibition was “predominantly positive” with 64% indicating a supportive or a neutral position to the proposals.
Ben Kwok, Development Project Manager at RWE, said: “We are grateful to everyone who took the time to engage with our proposals and share their suggestions. The feedback we received has been extremely helpful in shaping the revised plans we’ve submitted
“It’s important to us that, alongside our goals of reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy bills and promoting biodiversity, we are also working closely with the community to deliver a positive impact. We’re continuing to have conversations with the local community to best understand their aspirations for the area and answer any questions.”
In response to feedback and suggestions raised by the local community, a designated ‘no development area’ and a biodiverse community area near Wapley Bushes Nature Reserve were included in the planning proposal.
RWE say they hope to work closely with local representatives on the planting and design of the area as well as planting new habitats across the proposed solar farm to ensure it is in keeping with the area and supports the nature reserve’s conservation work and ambitions.
Additional planting along the site boundary has also been included to limit visibility of the proposed development. The project is proposing to plant 1,200m of new hedgerow with trees and almost 2,600m of species rich hedgerow within the site.
RWE has also removed some panels from its original proposals and revised the location of battery energy storage systems to limit its visual impact. The changes to the plans have supported the project’s sustainability initiatives, which already cover planting and wildflower areas, alongside bird nesting boxes and bat boxes, to support new and existing wildlife.
A community benefit fund of up to £194,000 has also been proposed to support nearby communities. The fund, which would be supported by a panel of local representatives, could be used to support sustainable initiatives in the area, such as rooftop solar on community buildings.
RWE hope the Mousewell Solar Farm will contribute towards South Gloucestershire Council ’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030, after it declared a climate emergency in July 2019.
The planning application is available to view at: https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/search-planning-applications/ by searching reference P24/03001/F)