Sun is Shining with Solar Park Permission

RPS continues to play its part in delivering new renewable energy capacity in the UK with the approval of a 9MW Solar Park in June. The permission is the latest in a stream of renewable energy projects for which RPS has secured consent in recent months including a commercial glasshouse development using heat from a nearby EfW facility in May and two biomass powered renewable energy projects in April.

The 9MW Solar Park, to be developed on land at Rotherdale Farm in Worcestershire, was approved by Wychavon District Council on the 19th June 2014. The development was considered to be in accordance with the National Planning Practice Guidance for Large Scale Photovoltaic Farms which seeks to steer development away from good quality agricultural land whilst providing much needed renewable energy to the national grid.

This latest planning consent follows a previous consent for a 5MW Solar Park on adjacent fields at the farm, for which RPS secured permission in January 2013 and which has recently been constructed. In combination, the approved Solar Park developments will provide up to 14MW of electrical energy which will not only increase Wychavon’s renewable energy contribution but will strengthen the local grid in the area and help this important local employer to maintain its competitive edge in the market place.

RPS Planning and Development provided planning, environmental and project management support for the planning application which was supported by the following technical assessments:

• Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment;
• Flood Risk Assessment;
• and an Ecological Appraisal.

Andrew Bille, the Director of Evesham Vale Growers (the parent company of Vale Green Energy) commented that:

"This is a great result and will strengthen our business going forward. This is the second Solar Permission that RPS has helped to us to secure and we have been very pleased with the services provided."

RPS also secured planning permission for improvements to the security system at the operational 5MW Aylesford Solar Park this June on behalf of Kent Solar Security, having secured the original permission for the development back in late 2011.