Plans for a Nottinghamshire solar farm that could create enough power for up to 400,000 homes have moved a step forward.
Renewable energy developer Elements Green is looking to build the Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park in an area north-west of Newark.
It would feature 1.5m solar panels and would form a ring roughly 6.2 miles from north to south around the villages of Bathley, Caunton and Norwell.
The eastern section of the solar park would run alongside the A1 near Cromwell.
Developer Elements Green says it could generate enough power for 400,000 homes.
Due to its size, it is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).
Law requires the applicant to apply for consent from the Government’s Planning Inspectorate, rather than the local planning authority, Newark and Sherwood District Council.
The Planning Inspectorate says it received the application on June 27, in an update on July 1.
It marks the next stage of the process towards approval, and the Planning Inspectorate will now consider whether the documents submitted by the developer can be put forward for full examination.
“We check if we can accept the application for examination,” the Planning Inspectorate says.
“We have 28 days to make this decision. We will check the application to make sure the applicant has submitted all the documents required by law and that these are of a satisfactory standard to examine the application.”
Acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, the proposals will be examined by the Planning Inspectorate if deemed acceptable.
After this examination, a recommendation will be made to the Secretary of State on whether to grant consent for the development.
Final approval will then be determined by the Secretary of State.
Elements Green says construction could begin around 2027 if the application is approved.
Two rounds of consultation have already been held.
The first round, which took place back in January and February of last year, found 54 per cent of 230 respondents opposed the scheme.
Just under 30 per cent said they would support it if changes were made.
Concerns raised at the time included the ecological impact, loss of farmland, and the visual impact on the countryside.
The second phase of the statutory consultation took place earlier this year, while a targeted phase of consultation was held in May.
The solar park would occupy approximately 7,166 acres of land, while the solar panels themselves would cover an area of approximately 3,390 acres, with the remaining area designated for “enhancement, cables and access”.
“Approximately 800 acres will be dedicated for wildlife enhancement, including the planting of approximately 50,000 trees, the addition of approximately 46km of hedgerows,” the developer says.
“Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park also includes plans for 19 permissive routes through the solar park site to provide improved access by way of connecting disjointed areas of the network of public rights of way, or provide improved options for circular walks.”
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