Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park

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 7 November 2022 – 5 December 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: St Mary Bourne Village Centre, Bourne Meadow, St Mary Bourne, Andover, SP11 6BE

Date: Tuesday 22 November

Time: 3pm – 7pm

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

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.

Boards from Public consultation - Lower Wyke Boards Low Res

The Benefits of Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park

• The project will help the UK reach its carbon net zero targets by producing renewable energy to power over 7,200 homes and save over 6,400 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.
• It will assist Basingstoke and Deane District Council to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with local and national targets, as well as supporting the Council’s strategy for its declared Climate Emergency.
• Ecological enhancements including 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 anticipate that the Solar Park will demonstrate at least 60% biodiversity net gain, which exceeds the 10% target outlined in the Environment Act 2021.
• New hedgerow planting is proposed to gap up and strengthen existing hedgerows to ensure minimal visual and environmental impact.

• The Solar Park will connect to the National Grid via an existing onsite pole to a point of connection at the bottom of the south field on the site, removing the need for a long cable route.
• This is a temporary development (40 years), allowing the solar PV and associated infrastructure to be removed and agricultural use reinstated following decommissioning.
• No Public Rights of Way will be closed during or after construction of the Solar Park.

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 £29,000 which would directly benefit local residents and be ring-fenced for use within the parish(es) affected by the project.

Viewpoint Map

Photo Viewpoints

This webpage provides an overview of the proposal so members of the community can comment prior to the formal application being finalised and submitted.

The Proposal

The project is situated approximately 2 miles south west of the village of St Mary Bourne. The approximately 86 acres (34 Ha) site will be located across three fields which are currently used for arable farming.

The proposed scheme will utilise this land therefore creating potential benefits of avoiding large inputs of fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides into the land, assisting in ecological benefits for wildlife.

In addition to having solar panels on the site, the proposal also 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.

Key Benefits;

Economic

• There is now a growing demand for renewable energy sources within the UK as a result of increased awareness of the current climate emergency. Solar farms such as this development present an ideal solution given their relatively quick start up and low maintenance costs.

Environmental

The proposed development will minimise any potential impacts on the environment and in addition provide biodiversity net gains throughout the site.

The proposed development will over its’ lifetime result in a net reduction of over 256,000 tonnes of CO2! Solar farms such as this development are considered imperative to secure the carbon reductions which is a legislative requirement of the Climate Change Act 2008 (2050 Target Amendment) Order 2019.

Climate Change Act

This act requires the UK to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to below 80% of the country’s 1990 levels by 2050. Both the (local area development plan) and the National Planning Policy Framework support and encourage this shift to renewable energy production.

Access:

Direct access to the site is provided via an unnamed road at the eastern end of the site, which passes over a railway bridge to the south and joins Walworth Road. The unnamed road will require surfacing in places to prevent further deterioration, this would be kept in place following construction. Furthermore, the construction period would be short in duration, and once the solar park is operational there would be very little additional traffic created by the development. It is considered that the proposal will not cause any harm to the safety of the users of the public highway network.

Operational Lifespan and Decommissioning

The development would have a lifespan of approximately 40 years. At the end of the useful life of the facility, it will be decommissioned, with all associated equipment being removed. It is considered that the land can be quickly reverted to agricultural use following this.

Key Figures:

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