The application on a site near Gotham and East Leake was discussed at a Rushcliffe Borough Council planning meeting today Thursday 9 March.
The proposals for the solar farm were voted on in today’s meeting:
The vote was a unanimous refusal.
Therefore the plans are refused by Rushcliffe Borough Council planning committee.
The application site comprises of agricultural land located some 0.7km to the south of Gotham and some 0.75km to the west of East Leake between Stocking Lane to the south and Kegworth Road to the north.
The plans comprise construction and operation of a solar photovoltaic (‘PV’) farm comprising ground-mounted photovoltaic solar arrays, together with substation, inverter stations, security measures, site access, internal access tracks and other ancillary infrastructure, including landscaping and biodiversity enhancement.
It is estimated that the solar panels would generate approximately 49.9 megawatts (‘MW’) of renewable energy – enough electricity to power approximately 15,200 homes annually.
Planning permission is to operate the facility for 40 years, at which point it would be decommissioned and the land returned to its previous state.
The entirety of the application site comprises a total of 16 fields, totalling some 80.65 hectares (ha).
The site is located entirely within an area of the Nottingham and Derby Green Belt.
The southern section comprises of 5 fields that also surrounded by pockets of woodland including Oak Wood, Crow Wood and Ash Spinney.
Collectively, these mature woodlands provide a strong sense of enclosure to the surrounding composition of open fields and from the wider landscape, they tend to screen most of the site from the wider landscape.
The southern section is accessed from Stocking Lane. The north and south areas are both linked by an existing an existing access track through the woodland that is located between them.
The site is primarily adjoined by other agricultural fields and large areas of dense woodland. Rushcliffe golf course and associated clubhouse are located to the north and east of the site. The surrounding area is also by individual farmsteads, sole dwellings.
