Solar farm plans announced

Plans for a large new solar farm that would be decided by central government have been unveiled for South Holland.

Downing Renewable Developments (DRD) is looking to put up the solar panels and associated buildings in several areas near Crowland, Whaplode Drove and Gedney Drove.

The company says it has a generating capacity of up to 750MW which could, if consented, provide enough energy to power around 215,000 homes.

As it is more than 50MW, a Development Consent Order (DCO) application will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) to be decided by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, not South Holland District Council.

Tony Gannon – head of DRD said: “As one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy, a fivefold increase in solar capacity is anticipated by 2035 in the Government’s Energy Security Strategy (2022).

“This cannot be achieved through rooftop and brownfield solar installations alone and, as such, projects such as Meridian Solar Farm will become essential to the UK’s energy mix.

Chris Coates senior project engineer at DRD said: “We have a long-term vision for Meridian Solar Farm which will significantly enhance local wildlife and provide real benefits to the local communities.

“As part of the initial project development process, we are beginning our stakeholder engagement campaign and aim to commence informal consultation in Spring 2024 to receive feedback on our early-stage proposals.”