Plans approved for massive solar farm in Cheshire town
Plans for a massive solar farm the size of 15 football pitches on a contaminated former golf course in Widnes have been given the green light.
Halton Council’s planning department has signed off on a scheme to construct a solar microgrid at St Michael’s golf course, north of Ditton Road and south of Speke Road.
The scheme will consist of more than 7,200 solar panels designed to generate four megawatts of energy, with the electricity produced being channelled to buildings operated by the council – including its municipal building HQ, Lower House Lane depot, DCBL Stadium and the new leisure centre on Moor Lane.
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Halton Council already operates a smaller solar farm on adjacent land which opened in 2020, but the new 27 acre development will quadruple capacity.
The former municipal golf course was closed in 2004 on the advice of the Health Protection Agency, following the discovery of arsenic in the ground and outbreaks of leachate (contaminated liquid) from the waste mass in the northern section of the course. Plans to reopen it to the public following clean-up work were announced in 2016 but did not come to fruition.
A design and access statement submitted in support of the new scheme, said: “It is acknowledged that the site is allocated for employment uses, however, the site, which was formerly sued for waste purposes, is known to be contaminated, which is a significant visibility barrier to redevelopment for employment uses within the short to medium term.”
According to designs online, it will take around 13 weeks to build and be in place for 40 years, with an additional six months earmarked for decommissioning. It will be sited adjacent to the existing one megawatt farm that already consists of 3,000 solar panels.
The report added: “The government expects each authority to contribute to meeting the (climate change) targets and reducing overall demand for energy. Communities have an important role to play in supporting energy generation from renewable or low-carbon sources.
“The proposed microgrid facility will make a significant contribution towards providing energy for the local area and would reduce CO2 emissions.”