Dengie Solar Park

Introducing Dengie Solar Park, Essex

Dengie Solar Park

Delivering value. Reducing carbon.

BSR Energy is preparing to submit an application to Maldon District Council for a Solar PV Park on land south of Keelings Road, Dengie, CM0 7JF.

The proposed Solar Park would deliver 19MW (megawatts) of power to the National Grid, saving 4,208 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year*. It would produce enough renewable energy to power approximately 4,751 homes in the UK**.

The UK has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. Dengie Solar Park will help aid us in reaching this target.

The purpose of this consultation

This website provides an overview of the project proposal so members of the community can provide vital feedback prior to the formal application being finalised and submitted

* Based on 'Emissions associated with the generation of electricity at a power station’ (Electricity generation factors do not include transmission and distribution). Source BEIS Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2020

** Based on an annual average domestic consumption per household (Great Britain) of 3,799 kWh. Source BEIS, Regional and Local authority electricity consumption statics 2018.

4,751

family households electrical needs serviced each year

Community Consultation

We invite local residents and stakeholders to take part in our community consultation. We want to gather feedback in order to finalise our proposals ahead of submitting our planning application to the local authority.

The pre-application community consultation period runs from 17 October 2022 – 15 November 2022.

A drop-in consultation event will be held for local residents and stakeholders to find out more about the project, meet the project team and give their feedback.

Location: Asheldham and Dengie Village Hall, Manor Road, Dengie, Southminster, CM0 7UH

Date: Tuesday 1 November

Time: 3pm – 7pm

A feedback form is available online during the consultation period: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/H6C6PNC

All feedback received will be analysed and shared with the project team, who will incorporate changes and suggestions where appropriate. A Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) which details the consultation process and summarises the feedback received will be submitted to planning authorities alongside the other application documents.

Site Location

The approximately 78-acre site is located less than 1km to the southeast of Dengie village in a large section of an existing field. Keelings Road is to the north of the site, which can be accessed via the existing entrance off this road.

The site consists of one field of Grade 3b land, currently used for arable farming. The grading means the land is considered as moderate quality agricultural land, or land capable of producing moderate yields of a narrow range of crops.

Layout - 1643 0201 01 Planning Layout ISS10

Project Proposals

Dengie Solar Park will comprise ground-mounted photovoltaic solar arrays, a substation, switchgear container, inverter/transformer units, site access, internal access tracks, security measures, access gates, other ancillary infrastructure and landscaping and biodiversity enhancements.

Current use of land: Arable farming

Land grade: Grade 3b

Flood zone rating: Flood zone 1, 2 & 3 (local flood defences make it less than 0.1% chance of flooding per year)

Total land required for the PV: Approximately 78 acres

Land designation None (Essex Estuaries SAC within 3.5km; Dengie SPA, SSSI, RAMSAR, NNR within 4.2km; Sandbeach Meadows SSSI 4.2km north east)

Site access: Via the existing field entrance located on Keelings Road

POC (point of connection) location: Underground cable to POC located in adjacent landowner’s field to the north west

Site Access

Access to the site is from an existing track from Keelings Road to the north of the site. Keelings Road is a rural single-carriageway running in an east-west direction, connecting to Hall Road to the west and to Bridgewick Road to the east. The access itself and the track leading into the site will likely require improvement to accommodate construction traffic.

The construction phase is likely to last for approximately six months. At its peak there would be an average of around nine HGVs to the site each day.

Once operational, the Solar Park will encounter low traffic levels with an anticipated 1 – 2 visits per month for maintenance and inspection purposes.

What are the benefits of Dengie Solar Park?

Helps the UK reach its carbon net zero targets by producing enough renewable energy to power approximately 4,751 homes and save over 4,200 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.
Assists Essex County Council and Maldon District Council to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with local and national targets, including Maldon District Council’s Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Generation Policy.
Supports Maldon District Council’s Climate Action Strategy 2021-2030.
Will aid the security and robustness of local electricity supply in Maldon District.
No Public Rights of Way will be closed during or after construction of the Solar Park.
The Solar Park will connect to the National Grid via an underground cable to a point of connection in an adjacent field, removing the need for a long cable route.
The proposal includes biodiversity and landscape enhancement measures, such as the gapping up of existing and planting of additional hedgerows to ensure there are minimal visual and environmental impacts.
Other ecological enhancements include wildflower and wild bird seed grasslands, and a range of breeding boxes for bats and birds are being considered as part of the application. We commit to the Solar Park achieving a minimum of 60% biodiversity net gain.
This is a temporary development (40 years), allowing the solar PV development and associated infrastructure to be removed and agricultural use reinstated following decommissioning.
The proposed Solar Park will not require government subsidy.

Community Fund

BSR Energy offers a community benefit of £1000 per installed MW for use towards suitable community projects. For this scheme, it would offer £19,000 which would directly benefit local residents and be ring-fenced for use within the parish(es) affected by the project.

The proposed development will, over its lifetime, result in a net reduction of over 168,000 tonnes of CO₂. Solar Parks such as this development are considered imperative to secure the carbon reductions which are a legislative requirement of the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019.

Documents

111228 TS Rev2 0

1643 0201 01 Planning Layout ISS06

3488 Dengie Solar Visualisations Type 4

Dengie Solar Farm Digital

D engie Solar Park FA Qs

Timelines

October - November 2022: Pre-application consultation commences

November 2022: Finalise project design

November - December 2022: Application submitted

Early 2023: Planning decision