It will assist Staffordshire County Council’s ambition to produce zero carbon emissions across the borough and to deliver a completely carbon neutral borough by 2050 to align with local, national and international targets.

The project will contribute to the UK’s urgent need to transition to a sustainable, clean future by enabling energy security and self-sufficiency in the local area.

Compared to pastoral farming, solar farms can support a biodiversity net gain by providing an overall increase in natural habitat and ecological features. Whilst there is an initial change to the countryside, the unmanned solar array and proposed planting scheme will fast become a haven for wildlife, producing a 10 – 15% biodiversity net gain.

Solar arrays are minimally invasive and allow land to lie fallow upon operation. A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) is undertaken by a qualified, independent surveyor to mitigate any effect on the landscape. Extensive design work has been conducted to ensure that the array will have a minimal visual impact on the landscape by using natural shielding methods.

The proposed array will allow us to install up to 10 new electric vehicle (EV) charging points on the site. Not only will they be predominantly powered by renewable, green energy sources but it assists with the continual growth of the EV network and positively impacting further to the 2050 net zero targets.

The anticipated construction period is approximately 3 - 4 months. With little to no impact on the local highways.

According to the UN, climate change is the ‘defining crisis of our time and it is happening even more quickly than we feared’. We have to create more renewable energy.

The UK Government has committed to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68 percent by 2030, compared to1990 levels. In addition to this, the Government has made a legal commitment to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. This will require a rapid and expanded deployment of low carbon power, including solar. We recognise the importance of environmental protection and betterment as part of our commitment to operating sustainably and responsibly.

We have procured independent qualified ecologist advice to measure the biodiversity value of this project and to design enhancements to deliver a net biodiversity gain, consisting of improvements to natural habitats for a range of invertebrates, bees, small mammals, reptiles & birds has been a key consideration in the design of the array.

The review of the proposed site by an independent agricultural consultant stated that; ‘the proposed solar panels does not contain any best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land and no lower quality land is available within the marina’s land holding for the siting of solar panels. The installation of solar panels in any event does not preclude the agricultural management of the land which can continue to be grazed or cut.’
The continuation of grassland, introduction an area of woodland around the external fencing and the planting of a varied array of flora and fauna provides suitable habitat & food sources for wildlife throughout the food chain.