East Hampshire council approves solar farm plan
Two councils have agreed on moving ahead with a 92,000-panel solar farm that goes across Winchester and East Hampshire district agricultural land.
East Hampshire District Council planning chiefs green-lit the plans for two parcels of land west of Broadway Lane and Anmore Lane in Lovedean for the development which crosses the border into Winchester.
The 49.9 megawatts solar farm development will power over 12,000 homes with the East Hampshire part supplying 12.21 megawatts.
In 2022, Enso Energy submitted the application to convert the 92.08-hectare area into a solar farm. The 91,840 solar panels will be installed over eight parcels of land between Denmead, Waterlooville and Horndean crossing both council boundaries.
Winchester City Council gave the go-ahead on its 60.05 hectares on October 17 and East Hampshire approved its 32.03 hectares of the site on October 24 to power 12,300 average English homes a year during the next 40 years.
After 40 years of use, the land will be decommissioned and returned to agricultural use.
Councillor David Ashcroft (Con, Binsted, Bentley and Selborne) said with the impact of global warming on climate change: “We’ve got to do it, it’s very important.”
Members debated the type of panel covering, its maintenance and fear of leakage of dangerous chemicals into the land, and into aquifers below that feed the local streams and drinking water.
Objecting to the application, resident Bernard Green said it was a “complex decision” and while reducing carbon emissions was a priority so must meeting the nation’s drinking water requirement be a high priority.
He said there was a growing gap of five billion litres a day of what was needed in the UK and was concerned about chemicals leaking into the ground from the panels.
He added: “The government already approved the use of recycled effluent as drinking water in the south east. Havant Thicket is a new reservoir to be fed by the aquifers that run under this agricultural land.”
Councillor Charles Louisson (Con, Ropley, Hawkley and Hangers) said with 91,000 panels being fitted, at least one if not more will get broken. He requested that monitoring the panel’s condition should happen “as soon as they go in” as leaching of chemicals is not dependent on them being operational if panels are damaged.
The officers said that the type of panels to be used and their coating are yet to be decided.
Councillor Sara Schillemore (Con, Horndean Catherington) was concerned about glint and glare and the height of the panels, 0.8 metres sloping to three metres off the ground. She said: “My farming friends tell me that sheep do not graze below the panels so can we ask the developers to consider lowering the panels closer to the ground.”
Councillor Nick Drew (Con, Froxfield, Sheet and Steep) said: “This is an industrialisation of the countryside in my view” and as much as possible should be done to reduce the visual impact on the countryside with planting and lowering panels’ heights if possible.
On behalf of Enzo Energy, Owen Horrell said: “It is obvious we need more renewable energy in the UK. Electricity demand is set to increase by 50 per cent by 2035 as transport and domestic heating are electrified.”
He said that the development will deliver biodiversity, increasing ecological habitats by 53 per cent and hedgerows by 56 per cent.
The impact of noise from the inverters and transformers on the sites would also be monitored.
The planning statement said the site is located to the north, west and south of the national grid Lovedean substation and proposed location of the AQUIND converter station. The feasibility of the Aquind interconnector power cable scheme linking Portsmouth to France is yet to be decided.
“The solar farm will take seven months to construct,” said the council officer.
Cllr Ashcroft proposed the application which was approved by members with Cllr Schillemore abstaining from the vote.