Work to begin on 'community benefit' solar energy facility which could lead to cheaper bills
It will occupy a site that was once used by motocross bikers, but is now vacant and disused
Land on the application site in South Bank(Image: RCBC)
A solar energy project being located on a former motocross course at South Bank has been granted planning permission.
It is hoped local communities will benefit from the development, which could generate more than 216 million kWh of renewable energy over its 25 year lifespan. The 16 acre development at Old Station Road, South Bank, which is bounded by the A66 to the south and the Haven traveller site to the east, has been proposed by Marske-based Community Led Regeneration, a community interest company.
A non-profit organisation, it is engaged in the energy, housing and skills and training sector and described as delivering local-community based solutions with a view to having a “sustainable impact globally”. Government grants have been secured for the scheme whose primary focus will be to harness solar energy efficiently and feed it directly into the national grid.
The aim is to share some of the profit from any electricity sold with the local community and/or allow residents’ access to cheaper energy tariffs.
The plans were viewed as a major application by Redcar and Cleveland Council - the local planning authority - and delegated to head of planning and development Adrian Miller for a decision. Allan Hoggarth, a director of Community Led Regeneration, said it was hoped to be on site within the next two weeks with the farm being operational in two to three years time.
The land was previously used for the Cargo Fleet steelworks and has been disused for several years, having previously been the location for a motocross course up until 2019.
Mr Hoggarth said the development would be different from other private-venture based solar farms, more and more of which are springing up in often agricultural settings. He said further details would be revealed in the coming weeks.
The inert material for the photovoltaic panels is to be shipped from abroad and transported to the site with the undulating land levelled off to pave the way for the installations to take place. Access will be from Old Station Road via an existing access to the northern end of the Haven site.
Solar panels derive energy from the sun(Image: Pixabay)
A so-called screening assessment before approval considered the development’s proximity to legally protected wildlife sites at the coast such as the Teesmouth and Cleveland Special Protection Area and its likely impact.
Increased HGV movements to and from the site and re-profiling of the land will create additional noise and dust emissions. But predicted noise levels were predicted to remain within acceptable thresholds during construction and there would only be a “marginal impact” noise-wise in operation.
Hours of construction will be limited and dust emissions monitored on a daily basis with adjustments being made to the management of the site if necessary. A Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP) submitted as part of the application will also be followed.
A report by a council planning officer said the development was acceptable in planning terms, adding: “The application site is located within development limits and raises no planning policy issues.”
There would only be a limited impact from the appearance of the facility, which was modest in scale, and it would be “benign in operation”.
The report said: “A noise report and CEMP have demonstrated that the impact of the construction operations can be mitigated to acceptable levels and be dealt with by planning conditions. The application submits an appropriate assessment in terms of ecological impacts and Natural England have also confirmed via a Habitats Regulations Assessment that the development will have no significant impacts on the coastal SPA.”
A previously submitted design and access statement said: “We consider that this should be looked upon favourably given the scheme seeks to re-develop a brownfield site to deliver a new community led solar scheme, which would provide significant social, economic, and environmental benefits for the area.
“Furthermore, the proposed development has been designed to the highest standard within the confines of the development’s nature and would not result in any adverse impacts on amenity, biodiversity, noise, or highways.”
The same application site was previously refused permission by councillors for a waste processing facility, a decision subsequently upheld by a Government-appointed planning inspector.