Fresh plans for huge Nottinghamshire project which would encircle villages and create 400 jobs

A field off Caunton Road near Hockerton in Nottinghamshire which would form part of the development
-Credit:Google


New plans have surfaced for a vast project which would encircle several rural Nottinghamshire villages and create more than 400 jobs. Fresh planning documents for a gigantic solar farm north-west of Newark were officially lodged with Newark and Sherwood District Council (NSDC) last week, but the proposal is so large that it will have to be eventually decided by Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Applicant Elements Green has asked the council for its opinion on the special 'Development Consent Order' it is planning to submit to the Government's Planning Inspectorate in summer 2025. The proposed Great North Road Solar Park would take up a total of 7,200 acres (2,900 hectares) of agricultural land, formed of a four-mile wide ring of more than 20 separate sites.

The project would span between the A1 and A617, encircling villages such as Ossington and Norwell and bordering Kelham and North Muskham. Three-and-a-half thousand acres (1,400 hectares) will be occupied by solar panels, with a further 800 acres dedicated to "wildlife enhancement".

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The park would create enough clean energy to power around 400,000 homes and businesses, according to the developers. Elements Green stated that around 400 roles would be created during the construction phase, with a further 60 needed permanently once it is operational.

A map of the proposals
A map of the proposals

It anticipates construction would start in 2027. Mark Noone, company head of UK development at Elements Green, previously said: "There will be hundreds of secure well-paid jobs created during construction and the project’s legacy would include scores of skilled positions once the site is operational.

"Over half of those will be engineering roles, but there will also be a need for admin and support staff, and there will be plenty of chances for these roles to be filled locally. These will be good jobs, which are permanent and pay a proper wage. And much like the Great North Road Solar Park, we believe they will make a positive contribution to the lives of families across the area."

The plans have previously been criticised by Robert Jenrick, Conservative MP for Newark, who said the “breath-taking scale” of the project and the spread of large solar farms “must be stopped”. The Government is aiming for the UK to become carbon net zero by 2050, and is hoping to produce 70GW of solar power by 2035.