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Middle Road Solar Farm | Community Consultation Website
Welcome to the
Middle Road Solar Farm
Community Consultation Website
Welcome to the public consultation for Middle Road Solar Farm. On this website we introduce the proposals to you, add more information as the project progresses and provide a way
to get in touch with us.
About the Developer
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The development proposals are being proposed by Novergy and Canadian Solar.
The Novergy Team have one of the strongest track records in the UK Solar PV sector with direct involvement in over 1GW of large-scale solar projects, that's about 15% of all sites built to date. The company’s mission now is the origination, development, design, financing, construction and operation of new solar PV in the UK. Novergy is focused on the provision of clean solar electricity, helping to make a more sustainable, low-carbon future.
Canadian Solar was founded in 2001 in Canada and is one of the world’s largest solar technology and renewable energy companies, having delivered around 71 GW of premium-quality solar photovoltaic modules around the world. Likewise, Canadian Solar has developed, built and connected over 6.6 GWp in over 20 countries, with 800 MWp of projects in operation, 5.3 GWp of projects under construction or in backlog (late-stage), and an additional 18.5 GWp of projects in the pipeline. Canadian Solar is one of the most bankable companies in the solar and renewable energy industry, having been publicly listed on the NASDAQ since 2006, with a mission to foster sustainable development and create a better, cleaner earth for future generations by generating electricity from the sun.
Canadian Solar has a strong track record having developed and built dozens of projects in the United Kingdom including Christchurch Solar Farm (Dorset), Bobbing Solar Farm (Kent) and Ballygarvey Solar Farm (Co. Antrim).
For more information on Canadian Solar, please visit www.canadiansolar.com or LinkedIn.
Canadian Solar and Novergy place value on engaging with parties from all sectors including community groups to understand the requirements of different partners and stakeholders.
Consultant Team
Novergy and Canadian Solar will be supported in the preparation and development of Middle Road Solar Farm by an experienced consultant team. Pegasus Group are the planning agent.
Why are Solar Farms Important?
The Government's National Planning Practice Guidance supports renewable and low carbon energy schemes like solar farms “to make sure the UK has a secure energy supply, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow down climate change and stimulate investment in new jobs and businesses.”
In 2019, the UK became the first country in the world to declare a Climate Emergency and has subsequently committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In October 2021 the UK Government set out its Net Zero commitments and obligations in the ‘Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener’. Amongst a number of initiatives, the Strategy confirms that by 2035 all our electricity will need to come from low carbon sources. The Strategy affirms that we need to continue to drive rapid deployment of renewables so that we can reach substantially greater capacity beyond 2030.
The proposal will:
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Offer green, clean and sustainable renewable energy which is generated without emitting any carbon dioxide or any other greenhouse gases
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Generate enough low carbon electricity to power up to approximately 15,000 homes per year over a 40- year period.
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Promote biodiversity with native tree planting, grassland and wildflower across the site as well as seeding beneath the solar panels.
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Provide good hedgerow management and strengthening to encourage wildlife use and enhancement of habitats and corridors within the site.
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Create jobs during the construction and operation phase with an emphasis on using local contractors where possible.
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Provide a community benefit fund to the local area working alongside local community groups.
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Contribute towards the UK’s Climate Emergency Agenda (in 2019, UK became the first country in the world to declare a Climate Emergency) and its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In October 2021, the UK Government set out its Net Zero commitments and obligations in the ‘Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener’. Amongst a number of initiatives, it confirms that by 2035 all our electricity will need to come from low carbon sources.
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Contribute towards Stratford-on-Avon District Council’s ambitions to take action to mitigate the impact of climate change and reduce carbon emissions. Stratford-on-Avon District Council declared a ‘Climate Emergency’ on 15th July 2019 with a key aim to become a carbon-neutral district by 2030.
Why Here?
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This site has been carefully selected as part of a detailed feasibility process which includes the consideration of grid capacity, sunlight irradiation, environmental designations, cultural heritage, ecology and biodiversity, flood risk and land grading.
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The area has an increasing demand for energy and this site has a technically and commercially viable grid connection. Solar receives no government subsidies.
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The area benefits from a nearby point of connection to the electricity network, avoiding excessive and unnecessary disruption and roadworks.
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There are no statutory designated areas within the site.
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The majority of the site is located in Flood Zone 1 with a small portion of the southern area of the site located within Flood Zone 2 and Flood Zone 3. The site layout will be carefully designed to ensure the development would remain operational and safe during times of flooding. Suitable drainage measures will be included to minimise impacts on nearby land/roads etc.
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The site has good access to the main highway network avoiding the need for construction traffic to be directed through villages and narrow lanes.
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The majority of the site forms Grade 3b agricultural land (moderate quality agricultural land).
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The proposal, through its setting (enough spacing between and under each row of solar panels) will allow livestock to graze so the land will remain in agricultural production as well as generating clean power.
The Site
![P20-0544_03B SLP[73].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7ffde8_664b405292e34b77a6fc696cc3b0e7a0~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_113,h_102,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/P20-0544_03B%20SLP%5B73%5D.jpg)
The site consists of two separate parcels of land comprising several fields divided by hedgerows. The A425 is located to the north of the site and connects the settlement of Radford Semele to Ufton. The B4455 (Fosse Way) forms the western border of the site. The southern parcel of land is dissected by the railway line (Leamington Spa- Banbury route) which runs on an east-west trajectory. Beyond the eastern and southern boundary lies predominantly agricultural land, with isolated farm buildings located in the wider area.
Agricultural Land Classification
The Planning Application is accompanied by an Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) Report. The ALC survey has been undertaken on a wider site area (116ha of land). The surveyed land comprises c.7ha of Grade 3a (Good quality) agricultural land and c.108ha of Grade 3b (Moderate Quality) agricultural land. The ALC report confirms that 1ha of non-agricultural land was also identified in the survey area. The Application Site excludes some of this Grade 3a land within the northern section of the surveyed area. It is therefore the case that the vast majority of the Application Site does not comprise BMV Agricultural Land.
Highways and Access
The Planning Application is accompanied by a Transport Statement. Access to the site for construction and operational purposes is proposed from three accesses on the A425 Southam Road, B4455 Fosse Way and Middle Road. These three accesses have been shown to be able to safely accommodate HGV movements through construction of the solar farm.
Cultural Heritage
There are no Listed buildings or Scheduled Ancient Monuments located within the site. The nearest Listed buildings are found within the nearby villages of Harbury and Ufton as well as a few nearby isolated Listed Buildings at Lower Westfields Farm and Harbury Fields. A Scheduled Monument (Roman rural settlement at Windmill hill Farm) is located approximately 1.1km south-west of the southern site boundary. Harbury Conservation Area is located approximately 1km south-east of the site at its closest point. A Heritage Desk-Based Assessment and Geophysical Survey have been submitted as part of the Planning Application.
Flood Risk
The majority of the site is located within Flood Zone 1; however, a small proportion of the southern area of the site is located within Flood Zone 2 and Flood Zone 3. The Application Site has been carefully designed to ensure the development would remain operational and safe during times of flooding. A sustainable drainage strategy, involving the implementation of SuDS in the form of swales is proposed. A Flood Risk Assessment has been submitted as part of the Planning Application.
Landscape and Biodiversity
The site is not located within the Green Belt or an AONB, or any other any statutory designations. The closest ecological statutory designated site is Whitnash Brook (LNR), adjacent to the urban edge of Leamington Spa and located c. 1.5km north west of the site, separated by a number of agricultural fields.
A range of landscape measures have been proposed to reduce any potential impacts on the local landscape receptors. The landscape measures include the retention of existing hedgerows and trees, the ‘gapping up’ of sparse / open sections of hedgerows to enhance screening around the site’s boundaries as well as planting of new hedgerows and trees. A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) has been submitted as part of the Planning Application.
An Ecological Assessment has been submitted as part of the Planning Application.
It is acknowledged that solar farms present a unique opportunity for long term biodiversity enhancement. The proposal will aim to achieve that through habitat retention and minimising disturbance, as well as achieving biodiversity net gain by increasing the variety and volume of species on and around the site.
Proposed Development
The proposed development is for a 49.99 megawatt ground-mounted solar farm with associated energy storage to include boundary landscaping; security / fencing; wildflower to provide a biodiversity net gain on site; and areas for additional ecological and landscape planting enhancements.
Photovoltaic Panels
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Each panel would be installed on a single axis tracker mounting structure with a typical overall height not exceeding 3m depending on existing ground levels which would be unaltered.
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The panels would be laid in north south rows with a space around 2–4m between each row to allow for maintenance and to avoid shading.
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The panels will be installed on a simple metal framework mounted on piles driven into the ground, avoiding the need for substantive foundations. All of the proposed equipment is temporary and will be removed at the end of the operational period.
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There will be limited noise from fans on inverters and batteries, and the inverters will not operate at sensitive times (i.e. at night) as the solar farm will not generate power during the hours of darkness.
Control Equipment
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Buildings for the control equipment will be of single storey height located across the site and near the Point of Connection (POC). Associated electrical equipment and infrastructure necessary for the operation of the solar farm will include; inverters/transformers; a client substation; a Distribution Network Operator (DNO) substation; battery storage and spare part storage.
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All cabling will be buried underground.
Security
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CCTV cameras (Infrared Security Cameras monitored 24/7) mounted on poles would be installed around the site’s perimeter and directed on to the solar farm.
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A fence up to approximately 2.5m in height will be erected around the perimeter of the site. The fence will include small mammal gates to allow native wildlife to freely enter and exit the site.
Access
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Access tracks within the site will be kept to a minimum, they will be approximately 3.5m wide with the purpose of facilitating operation and maintenance of the solar farm.
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Once operational the proposed development will result in low levels of vehicle movements associated with the maintenance of the solar farm.
Planning Background
In 2022 a planning application for Middle Road Solar Farm was submitted to Stratford-On-Avon District Council (application reference: 22/00001/FUL). The LPA's Planning Committee refused the planning application at a meeting held on 26th October 2022 against the advice of the recommendation of the Officer's report to Committee, which was that planning permission should be granted, subject to planning conditions. The decision notice stated one Reason for Refusal on landscape grounds. Since this decision, the Applicant has revised the previously submitted plans.
A pre-application public consultation was held in February 2023, where revised plans were presented to the local community to gain feedback and comments on the amended scheme. After actively engaging with the local community, and reviewing all of the comments and feedback received from the local community, the Applicant has made a variety of changes to the proposed development including:
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The previously proposed solar panels have been removed from Fields 5 and 6 in the north-eastern corner of the northern parcel of the development.*
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A 10m wide tree buffer along the eastern boundary of Fields 7 and 14 has been incorporated into the revised proposals, including small scale trees with a mature height of 10-15m.
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Panels have been setback along some of the field boundaries including the eastern boundary of field 14 and the south-eastern boundary of field 7.
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Additional hedgerows, hedgerow trees and tree belts have been incorporated into the layout to aid the screening of the Proposed Development, particularly from the village of Ufton and higher ground to the east.
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The species mix of the proposed planting has been increased and silver birch (Betula pendula) added to the hedgerow tree planting.
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The woodland planting mix composition has been amended for improved structural diversity.
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The hedgerow and hedgerow tree planting now incorporates a greater variety in terms of stock size and species selection. This allows for the proposed planting to have a greater diversity and visually appear more natural, avoiding uniformity in height and sizes. The smaller trees are more resilient thus more adaptable to the growing conditions and are expected to establish better given the open countryside location.
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The proposed hedgerows specification has been updated to 3 rows staggered rather than 2 rows.
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The fence line has been amended adjacent to PRoW SM63 to provide a generous ‘green corridor' and allow increased planting and screening along the route of this PRoW.
*In the downloads section below, the Link titled ‘ After - Photomontages without fields 5 and 6’ shows the revised layout with fields 5 and 6 removed and the link titled ‘Before – Photomontages with fields 5 and 6’ show the original previously proposed development with fields 5 and 6 included. The first page of each PDF shows the existing view from the White Hart Inn pub garden, whilst the second page shows how the development would look after one year and the final page demonstrates how the proposed development would look in fifteen years (illustrating how the proposed planting will mature over time).
Downloads
High resolution copies of plans are available for download on this website.
As demonstrated in the downloads link titled ‘After – photomontages’ (with the Solar Panels in fields 5 and 6 having been removed from the Proposed Development since the pre-application public consultation) when viewing the revised Proposed Development from the White Hart pub in Ufton, the panels in this portion of the development are less visible, especially when viewing the ‘Year 15 After’ photomontage image (which superimposes the proposed mitigation planting), demonstrating how well screened the site is from the village of Ufton.