Solar Farms & Green Energy

By combining desk top studies and site investigation, we work hard with the project team to produce comprehensive written reports and supporting graphic packages that identify the predicted residual landscape and visual impacts of each proposed scheme. ALD have worked on several projects involving Solar Farms and Green Energy Production.

Working closely with the planning consultants and the sites developers we have helped to assist in the successful approval and installation of schemes across central England.

 

Hill Farm, Duns Tew, Oxfordshire

A 25 acre site that is anticipated to produced 5mw of electricity using 20,000 photovoltaic panels. The application for the proposed development also covered inverters / transformers / substations that are required to convert the current into useable power, along with security fencing, cameras and access tracks.

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ALD’s remit on this scheme involved detailed liaison with the Local Planning Authority to ensure adjacent neighbours and properties in the Village of Duns Tew (a Conservation Area) were not significantly affected by the temporary 25 year development. ALD also worked closely with the project ecologist to produce wet woodlands, compensation grasslands and a regime change to existing hedgerows to ensure the local ecology was not detrimentally affected. Once built the land beneath the photovoltaic panels has been left so sheep can still graze.

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The Cherwell lead member for planning Michael Gibbard was quoted of the scheme "While we do accept this is a large development, the applicant has put a lot of thought into protecting views from the surrounding countryside."

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Swadlincote, South Derbyshire

A 14 acre site on a former coal extractions site that is anticipated to produced up to 5mw of electricity using 14,500 photovoltaic panels. The application for the proposed development also covered inverters / transformers / substations that are required to convert the current into useable power, along with security fencing, cameras and access tracks.  

 

ALD undertook the LVIA for this scheme, situated in an area of Greenbelt and The National Forest, the area was very sensitive and visible to the surrounding settlements of Swadlincote and Burton on Trent.