Solar farm in Immingham given the go ahead
The solar farm and Battery Energy Storage System will cover about 74 hectares of the 94 hectare site
A major solar farm has been given the go ahead by councillors in North East Lincolnshire.
The council’s planning committee gave its approval to One Planet’s proposed 49.9MW solar farm on agricultural land off Margaret Street, Immingham, to the west of the A1173. The proposal also includes the installation of a battery energy storage system (BESS), which was a main concern of objectors.
The solar farm and BESS will cover about 74 hectares of the 94 hectare site, the rest set aside for landscaping. Most of the land is assessed as relatively poor quality agricultural land.
An agricultural quality report submitted with the application states the majority is not “the best and most versatile agricultural land”. This is due in part to the wetness of the soil.
The application appeared before councillors because of the number of objections, seven different households, to it. “There are enough solar panels in Immingham and what an eyesore they are,” commented one objector in their written objection. “This land should be used for crops not the useless solar panels that I have to look at out of my back windows.”
The BESS will be located adjacent to the A1173 roundabout and Kings Road. Committee member Cllr Kevin Shutt confirmed neighbour objections featured at the planning meeting concerned the BESS and noise from it. However, councillors were advised the nearest house was 300 metres away.
Cllr Shutt added he joked the solar farm suggested “California’s the sunshine state of the USA and Immingham’s the sunshine ward of North East Lincolnshire”. Fellow committee member Cllr Matt Patrick said he warmly welcomed the proposal and was very much pro-renewables “in the right place”. He added the project would help keep the North East Lincolnshire area as the “renewables capital of Britain”, which he said was an aspiration he had for the area.
The official permission for the solar farm project is pending still. This is due to a consultation period with the Ministry of Defence, due to be completed on May 4.
A condition has also been granted for a five year period for construction to begin by. This longer than usual time period – usually it is a three year window – is to allow for grid connections to be obtained.