Planning permission sought for 75 acre Solar Farm at Grazeley near Reading
A planning application to construct a solar farm on Grazeley Green has been submitted by West Berkshire Council.
Covering 75 acres the farm, if planning is secured, will be located on Council land, four miles from Reading. It is expected to cost £10million to construct and Council's Procurement Board have agreed to fund the project.
According to the Council, the project, entitled Bloomfield Hatch, will have an installed capacity of 26.6MWp, that is, it would generate enough electricity to power over 7000 homes per annum. Once constructed the facility will have an anticipated thirty year life cycle.
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A feasibility study found the Bloomfield Hatch Solar Farm would offset approximately 30 percent of West Berkshire Council's carbon footprint. The application also makes reference to enhanced biodiversity measures which would be put in place in the farm to enable wildlife to thrive on the facility.
The plans, which council believe will be decided upon in late summer, will see up to 60,000 solar panels installed in a manner which they state would have minimal visual impact in the surrounding countryside. Due largely to the natural dip and existing woodland in the area. The application also seeks permission for on site battery storage.
The proposed solar farm would also be located close to two existing facilities, at nearby Pierce’s Farm and Pingewood Road South.
Councillor Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for the Environment, said: "Last year we installed solar panels on some of our buildings and we are now looking to build on this with the possibility of a new solar farm.
"It could significantly reduce our carbon footprint with any surplus income available to reinvest in other environmental projects. Our Environment Strategy is something we are absolutely committed to, and this new solar farm is a statement of our intent towards achieving a carbon neutral district by 2030."
It is hoped construction will commence in September 2023.
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