Cabinet to discuss ‘very significant’ concerns over solar farm proposals

08 Mar 2022

A meeting of West Suffolk Cabinet is due to be held in Mildenhall to discuss proposals for a solar farm planned to be built partly in the district and Cambridgeshire.

The report which can be seen at Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday 15 March 2022, 6pm for the meeting on 15 March highlights very significant concerns on what is proposed by the applicant Sunnica.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will make the final decision on whether the scheme is given planning approval. West Suffolk Council with other affected authorities are being asked their views at the current pre-examination stage.

Sunnica Energy Farm is a scheme for the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generating panels and on-site battery energy storage systems (BESS) across four sites within Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The proposal will also include the infrastructure associated with the required connection to the national grid, including an extension to the Burwell National Grid Substation. 

West Suffolk Council has declared a climate emergency and owns a solar farm and so recognises the need for energy generated in a sustainable way.

However, the report highlights key areas of concern where outstanding questions have not been answered by the applicant to date during the process. It also emphasises where there is a requirement for additional mitigation and compensation to be forthcoming in order to address concerns.

Key concerns remain in relation to the likely environmental impacts, the quality of assessments of these impacts and the lack of mitigation in a number of topic areas, including landscape and visual amenity, ecology and nature conservation, transport and access and community impacts. In addition, concerns are being raised in connection with cultural heritage, noise and vibration, socio-economics and land use, battery first safety and impacts on the horse racing industry.

As such the report recommends West Suffolk Council does not support the proposal as it stands and considers that development consent should not be granted for the plans as submitted.  

The Cabinet meeting is being held at Mildenhall Hub, Mildenhall from 6pm and is due to be live streamed with the link on the agenda.

Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday 15 March 2022, 6pm

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