An extensive site selection process was undertaken to find the most appropriate, feasible location for the proposed development. Parameters such as agricultural land quality, distance from existing grid infrastructure, field patterns/topography and environmental and landscape sensitivity were all considered. A site selection report will accompany the full application to elaborate on this process

Construction is estimated to take approximately 6 months. The later stages of the construction focus on implementing site beautification and wildlife enhancements strategies. Construction will also follow a strict protocol to ensure no unacceptable short term impacts are incurred

During construction there will be an average of 6 HGV deliveries per day (12 two-way HGV movements per day). These movements will be conducted following a strict management protocol, and undertaken at sociable hours to avoid unacceptable impacts. The construction delivery route will be directly from Earls Common Road.

No. Certain elements such as the inverters and batteries generate a barely perceptible hum, however to ensure there are no adverse impacts to local residents we do carry out a noise assessment to accompany the planning application. Noise generating equipment will be located towards the centre of the site, away
from sensitive receptors as to further mitigate any impact.

The solar farm will be operational for up to 40 years, after which it will be decommissioned, deconstructed
and the site will return to its previous use. 99% of the materials can be recycled.

Thanks to the carefully designed layout and incorporation of ecological improvement areas, there will be a
substantial overall biodiversity net gain at this site. All existing trees and hedgerows will be preserved and over 46 acres of wildflower / woodland grass meadows and more than 4.6 km of new hedgerow will be planted. Beehives will be installed alongside bird, bat & barn owl boxes, insect hotels, great crested newt hibernacula and log piles increasing pollinators and biodiversity throughout the site.

Some examples of how the scheme might look from local viewpoints can be seen on the website home
page. These were taken from publicly accessible areas within a Zone of Theoretical Visibility. Due to the
extensive hedges and trees around the site views will be well screened from most viewpoints. Where views do exist we have proposed a substantial planting scheme (overleaf) to limit any potential visual
impact.

The proposed solar farm will be a temporary development, so the land will return to its original status. The land will remain a greenfield site throughout the development’s life, and after it is decommissioned. Furthermore, 99% of the site can still be used for sheep grazing during the operational period in and around the panels. A long term break from arable farming will also greatly improve the soil quality and leave the land nutrient rich for the next generation.

JBM Solar is a part of RWE, the UK’s leading power generator and a major player in the development, construction and operation of renewable energies, and decarbonisation projects. We are combining our own industry-leading expertise and knowledge of Solar and co-located battery development with RWE’s significant prowess in building and operating power generation projects that provide enough electricity to power more than 14 million UK homes.