PLANS for a solar park on the outskirts of Westbury have been put on hold after the government announced they are to review the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme.
Feed-in tariffs were introduced under the previous government as a financial incentive to generate renewable energy.
Bath property business, HPH Commercial Property Ltd, recently announced plans for the state-of-the-art solar park for a 35 acre site in fields to the north and south of Hawkeridge Farm. The estimated capacity of the Hawkeridge Farm site was stated to be 4.5MW-5MW, a capacity that equates to powering approximately 1,000 homes.
However, last month the Department of Energy and Climate Change announced a comprehensive review into the Feed-in Tariffs scheme.
The review was launched following concerns that the large scale solar farms could soak up money intended to help homes, communities and small businesses generate their own electricity. The review is due to be completed by the end of the year.
Lindsay Holdoway, managing director of HPH Commercial Property explained, “HPH Commercial Property has decided to defer submitting a planning application following the Government’s recent announcement to review the feed-in tariff system for solar energy projects. Once the Government review is complete, we will reconsider options for the site.
“We would like to thank everyone who attended the recent public consultation events which provided us with valuable feedback for the site’s future.”
HPH own the site, and explained to the meeting of the Westbury Area Board on Thursday 3rd February that they had bought the site after it had been suggested as an extension to the West Wilts Trading Estate.
