Solar farm could be coming to Glastonbury
It's to replace the traveller's site which fell through.
Amended plans have come forward to build a new government-backed solar farm on a scrapped travellers’ site in Glastonbury.
Part of the £23.6m Glastonbury town deal, which is funded by central government, was the creation of a new off-road accommodation site for the ‘non-bricks and mortar’ community in and around the town, providing people with a safe location and enabling other projects within the Beckery area of the town to proceed.
Somerset Council originally intended to deliver a new travellers’ site on land north of Porchestall Drove, but this was scrapped in in July 2024 after the site “turned into a lake” twice in the space of one winter.
With the council now seeking to secure alternative sites for this purpose, revised proposals have been submitted by Avalon Community Energy to build a solar farm on the site, following the approval of an initial screening request in December 2024.
Around 1.2 hectares of land north of Porchestall Drove will be covered in ground-mounted solar panels – which between them will generate power for just under 500 homes.
A new access track being put in place at the eastern edge of the site, with new hedgerows being planted around the perimeter of the solar farm to screen the panels and security fence from the neighbouring properties and countryside.
A spokesperson for Mott McDonald (representing the applicant) said: “The proposed solar array will be positioned to the northern end of the site and will not cover the full area of the field.
“It will be of a size proportionate to the surrounding area and uses, minimising impacts to the surrounding area.”
Avalon Community Energy has been involved in the Glastonbury town deal since its inception, with £2.8m being committed to delivering clean energy projects across the town – including installing solar panels on the roofs of commercial buildings in the Beckery area.
Joseph Thomas, who lives near the site, said flooding on this field was “a well-known issue” and questioned the wisdom of installing a solar farm in this location.
He said: “The field in question floods every year during periods of heavy rainfall.
“If the developers intend to raise the ground level to protect the solar panels from flooding, this will inevitably displace flood-water into the surrounding areas.
“Local businesses, roads, and nearby properties would be at increased risk of flooding as a result, which is entirely unacceptable and would cause unnecessary hardship and disruption.
“Alternatively, if the ground level is not raised, there is a serious safety risk in having electrical infrastructure and solar panels sitting in flood-water.
“This poses dangers of electrical faults, equipment damage, and potential safety hazards to people and wildlife.
“Unfortunately this field is only good for one thing, which is a flood plain to protect surrounding areas and sewers.”
The council is expected to make a decision on these detailed proposals by the end of the year.
All funding associated with projects within the Glastonbury town deal must be committed to their given projects by the end of March 2026 – meaning construction is expected to begin rapidly if approval is granted.
The Glastonbury town deal board indicated in early-June that National Grid had already confirmed a possible grid connection for this site to the south of Porchestall Drove, which will speed up the solar farm’s delivery.