PLANS are in the pipeline for a 50-acre solar park between Chapmanslade and Frome.
Wessex Solar Energy is seeking Mendip District Council’s opinion on whether an environmental impact assessment would be needed before a formal application is submitted.
In a screening and scoping opinion and pre-application advice request, the energy firm outlines its proposal for a c.14.4 megawatt (MW) Solar Park on land south of Adams Hill Farm, about 1.4 km east of the town.
Lodge Hill Solar Park would be one of a potential portfolio of sites being looked at by Wessex Solar Energy across England and South Wales.
In a report to the council an officer says the firm has identified the Frome site as being “a good candidate to house a solar park.”
The A3098 runs to the north of the application site and the site is crossed by a public footpath.
“The length of the definitive route which would be affected is 570m,” says the officer. “It is proposed that this public right of way would be retained but officially diverted to follow the use route around the field boundaries.
“This route would be maintained at a width of at least 5m and separated from the proposed solar park by a fence with occasional hedgerow planting.”
A second footpath running south of the northernmost field will be crossed by the proposed access track to the development and will also be retained.
The plans propose using crystalline PhotoVoltaic panels measuring 2210 mm (length) by 1130 mm (width), and 35 mm (depth) to convert solar energy in sunlight into electrical energy.
Electricity would be exported via a connection into a wooden poll supported 33kV transmission line which passes the site about 1km to the west.
A permanent 2m tall security fence would be installed (behind any existing onsite hedgerows), with an access gate to ensure there is no unauthorised access to the site. CCTV cameras may also be mounted at intervals along the fence.
The proposed park would be expected to have an operational life of approximately 40 years and would be unmanned during typical day-to-day operation.
The availability of the PV Panels will be close to 100 per cent of daylight hours. by generating Direct Current (DC) which would then be converted to Alternating Current (AC) for export to the regional electricity grid.
The report states, “Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations make no specific comment on the need or otherwise for an EIA for solar parks, but do state that any energy development, including ‘installations for the production of electricity’ covering an area exceeding 0.5 hectares (ha), are considered as Schedule 2 developments.”
As the proposed solar Park site will cover a total area of up to 21 ha (approximately 52 acres), it is considered to be a Schedule 2 development.
Whether or not a full EIA is required, Wessex Solar Energy proposes that some specific environmental studies are undertaken in support of its future application.
