Gelding Borough Council has just given Earthworm Energy permission to build a 4 megawatt solar array on a four hectare plot of land in Nottinghamshire.
The solar farm will consist of around 15,000 panels, and will be situated near the midlands town of Calverton. The company has said that the land on which the panels are built will continue to be used as grazing land for cattle and other livestock.
Earthworm welcomed the council’s decision, saying: “We are delighted that Gedling BC planning committee have granted us planning permission for this project and thank them for maintaining an objective view on what represents an appropriate development within the Green Belt.”
The decision is a somewhat controversial one, since applications to build solar farms on green belt land are often rejected. However, it is now the second time that Earthworm Energy have been given similar permissions, after last year securing planning permission for a larger solar array in Oxfordshire, despite calls for the application to be refused.
When such applications are refused or met with opposition, successful or not, it is often in the name of protecting the aesthetics of the land in question – as it is with wind farms. However, the company who argued on Earthworm Energy’s behalf, NLP, argued that because of the high density of woodland surrounding the proposed site for this latest array, the impact would, in fact, be minimal. NLP were also behind Earthworm’s previous application in Oxfordshire.
A senior planner at NLP, James Cox, said: “We are delighted to have secured planning permission for this development which will help secure a viable future for the farm on which it is housed, as well as helping the UK hit its renewable energy targets.”
He acknowledged that proposed solar farms (as well as wind farms) in the countryside have been met with some resistance, the backlash has been somewhat overstated and hasn’t acted as as much of a barrier as previously thought.
He explained: “Solar farms are not an uncommon in the UK Green Belt and, despite the spate of recent adverse decisions, many previous developments have been allowed on the basis of their ‘very special circumstances’.
“The ‘very special circumstances’ test sets a high bar but by working closely with the developers, the farm owners and officers at Gedling borough council we were able to provide the necessary evidence to clear this hurdle.”
Speaking about the new site specifically, he said: “Additional site specific facts which supported the application included the close proximity of the site to a National Grid connection point and the fact that Earthworm is keen to allow the site to be used as an educational resource for local schools. Its temporary, 25 year, life, also helped.”
