A new solar farm next to a Liverpool city region RAF base could provide power for more than 3,000 homes if it wins approval next week. Andrew Brown reports
A new solar farm next to Formby Bypass could generate enough electricity to power 3,000 homes per year.
Proposals for the scheme at Tip Field, south of North Moss Lane in Formby, near RAF Woodvale, are recommended for approval when they come before Sefton Council’s Planning Committee at Bootle Town Hall next Wednesday (July 23).
Planning permission was granted in June 2020 for the facility to be built on 8.16 hectares of land. Taiyo Power & Storage has now applied to Sefton Council for permission to increase the lifetime of the solar farm to 40 years from when it is constructed.
Taiyo says the development will help to provide green energy into the National Grid. It would generate sufficient energy for more than 3,000 homes a year through its lifetime. Although Sefton planning officers calculate this to be closer to 2,500 homes.
This is projected to result in a reduction of around 3,208 tonnes per annum of carbon dioxide per year when compared to electricity from fossil fuels, which represents a significant saving.
The site has been used as pasture for livestock grazing. The land was used as a refuse tip during the 19th century, as reflected in the site name.
In its report, Sefton’s planning team said: “This application seeks approval for the installation of a 9MWp solar farm across three parcels of land to the south of North Moss Lane, Formby within designated Green Belt.
“The main issues to consider in respect of the proposal are the principle of development, the impact on the Green Belt and the impact on Ecology.
“While considered to be inappropriate development that causes intrinsic harm to the openness of the Green Belt it is considered that the benefits arising from the scheme from the production of energy from a renewable source and significant enhancement of biodiversity demonstrate ‘very special circumstances’ that outweighs the harm.
“Delegated approval is therefore sought subject to referral to the Secretary of State as the proposal is a departure from the Local Plan.”
“The anticipated 9MWp capacity of the proposal could generate sufficient energy for over 2,500 homes per annum, based on an annual average consumption of 3,300kWh of electricity of a house (noting that Ofgem has a typical use between 1,800 – 4,100kWh).
“This matter is considered to have significant weight in the planning balance.”
The proposal would allow for continued grazing of the land around the panels while the less intensive agricultural use of the land would give rise to biodiversity and ecological enhancements.
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“The proposal is also likely to create jobs during the construction and ongoing operation of the installations that would have an economic benefit, the planners added.
This development will comprise 16,500 300Wp solar PV modules, with rows of panels which will not exceed 2m in height approximately.
Taiyo says that “due to the panel height not exceeding the approximate height of 2.2m the visual impact of this proposal on the wider landscape will be limited whilst utilising what is currently poor agricultural land.