DEVELOPERS of a solar farm near Wedmore have applied to keep it in place for an extra 15 years.
Saville’s has submitted an application on behalf of Nextenergy Solar Holdings relating to a solar farm on Hawkers Farm, Yeo Moor Drove in Theale, just outside of Wedmore.
Permission has already been granted to the solar farm to be in place for 25 years – but now the developers want to extend that to 40 years.
Under the current planning conditions, once the 25 years are up, the solar farm development must be removed and the land restored to its pre-development state ‘in the interest of visual amenity’.
In the application, Nextenergy Solar Holdings says the component parts are likely to exceed the 25-year warranty and will still be operating at about 80 per cent of their installed output.
Under the current 25-year plan, the solar farm will produce 960MWh/yr – or enough electricity to power approximately 2,360 homes per year and save 2,950 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
The developer states in the plan: “To maximise the generating potential of the solar farm and secure a longer term investment in the scheme, we now seek to remove the requirement within the condition that restricts its operational lifetime to 25 years.”
To view the full application visit the planning section of Sedgemoor District Council’s website and search for the application 50/18/00063. Comments are welcome on the proposals until Thursday, August 16.
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