The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Plans for a new 48MW solar farm in Holbeach Bank have been submitted to South Holland District Council.
AUK PE12 Ltd wants to build the 65.5 hectare facility on land north of Roman Bank and East of Middle Marsh Road at Red House Farm. The rest of the 80 acre site would be retrained for agricultural use, writes Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Jaines.
The applicant said the move would create enough energy to power 14,400 homes.
In their application to the council, the developers said the site would offer “a sustainable opportunity to provide renewable energy for the local area and the wider grid, given its location, proximity to existing infrastructure and accessibility”.
“There is an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible,” they said.
“Although South Holland District Council has not yet declared a climate emergency, the government has set a target for the nation (and by extension, the district) to reach net-zero by 2050.
“This proposal will contribute to the de-carbonisation of the UK energy supply, the Net Zero 2050 emissions target and other national energy and climate policies.
“Considerable care has been taken in the design of the proposal to avoid any unacceptable environmental effects whilst ensuring that the solar farm can make a significant contribution to the national requirement for renewable energy generation.”
It would be accessed from Middle Marsh Lane.
The plans state that at the end of the solar array’s operational lifetime, equipment associated with the build will be removed and the land restored to agricultural use.
Currently solar panels have warranties of a minimum of 30 years of operation
