Application for massive new solar solar farm in Stafford come forward just weeks after similar development was allowed at appeal
Plans for a massive new solar farm in Stafford Borough have come forward – just weeks after permission was granted at appeal for another development on the opposite side of a rural road.
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The latest application, put forward by Push Generation and Supply Ltd, seeks permission for solar panels and a battery energy storage system (BESS) on land at Yew Tree Farm, Drointon Lane, Grindley in Stafford.
A design and access statement said the proposed solar farm will have a capacity of 49MW using solar panels fixed to the ground via metal piles and supporting infrastructure. The BESS portion of the site would have a capacity of 30MW and the application site covers an 85.2 hectare (210.5 acre) area.
A site justification document submitted as part of the application said the development would generate “enough secure available and affordable renewable energy to power approximately 19,263 homes and offset over 13,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.” It added ” The development is temporary and completely reversible at the end of its life.
“In 2019, the Government and Stafford Borough Council declared a climate emergency. To enable the transition from fossil fuels to a net-zero economy, it is essential to locate renewable energy projects on the most suitable sites to ensure these developments are feasible and buildable.
“The proposal has very specific locational requirement for being sited within a commercially viable distance from the point of grid connection. The chosen site has a willing landowner and is available for development now and therefore is considered deliverable.”
The document added that planting of new trees, hedges, and meadow around the solar farm would provide a 23% increase in habitat units and a 17% increase in hedgerow habitats compared to the existing use. Agricultural use of the land would be able to continue during the solar farm’s 40-year siting through grazing of small livestock, such as sheep.
Stafford Borough councillors rejected a separate planning application from Novus Renewable Services Limited for a 49.9MW solar farm and BESS on land at Lower Farm at Drointon Lane, Grindley, last year. But the decision was overturned by planning inspector Stephen Normington following a public hearing held in January.
Stowe by Chartley parish councillor Richard Rayson, who spoke at the hearing, said: “We are aware of at least half a dozen applications for solar farms in the boroughs of Stafford and East Staffordshire, very close to this development. Within a one mile radius we have a live application at Newton and we have the Yew Tree Farm development we know is going to come forward very quickly – my concern is that within the immediate vicinity this represents over 550 acres of this rural community.”
