Solar farm plan by Herefordshire river moves closer

Gavin McEwan
·2-min read
A solar farm <i>(Image: Hugh Venables / Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0 licence))</i>
A solar farm (Image: Hugh Venables / Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0 licence))

Plans for a new 30-hectare, 20-megawatt solar farm in the Herefordshire countryside have taken a step forward.

A new planning application (number 241510) by Reading-based Anesco seeks permission for solar panels, transformer units, a control room and grid connection equipment on farmland north of Stoke Edith beside the Hereford-Ledbury railway line.

The spot “is relatively well screened from the surrounding area, and falls within an area which is already characterised by electrical infrastructure, including a solar farm”, it says – an apparent reference to the larger Larport solar farm already built between nearby Dormington and Mordiford.

RELATED NEWS:

Lying alongside the river Frome, the site is classed as having a flood risk of 2 (“medium”) or 3 (“highest”).

Anesco says the proposal’s “substantial environmental, economic, and social benefits outweigh its position within an area of flood risk”, and that it would not increase the risk of flooding within or outside the site.

Aerial view of the proposed solar farm site (Image: application)

Addressing other concerns raised by locals, the company says that “enhanced” hedgerows along with tree and scrub planting “will ensure that landscape impacts are reduced where possible”.

It also says its plan “will not result in any increased pollution of any form, with no significant producers of sound or light proposed on site” – nor will there be new pylons, as at Larport.

What are your thoughts?

You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here.

Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.

In April, an application by “Frome Valley Solar” confirmed that an environmental impact assessment was not needed for the project.

Each panel would be mounted above the ground, rising to a height of 2.8 metres.

OTHER NEWS:

The land beneath “will continue to retain an agricultural use with sheep grazing being feasible”, Anesco says, adding the loss of farmland “would be temporary and reversible”.

During construction, lorries would access the site from the minor adjacent road over a 48-50 week period.

Comments on the application can be made via the Herefordshire Council webpage until July 25.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • UK 'weather nightmare' coming with 30mph winds and hellish thunderstorms

    A BBC weather forecaster has told viewers to 'forget' the idea nice weather will sweep in...

  • Hippopotamuses can become airborne for substantial periods of time, researchers discover

    Hippopotamuses can become airborne for substantial periods of time, according to new research into the mammals. Research by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) found that the animals can be up in the air for up to 0.3 seconds at a time when moving fast. The findings found that unlike other land animals such as elephants, horses and rhinos, hippos exclusively trot when moving, pushing the limits of what giant land animals can do, the RVC said.

  • Mount Everest's highest camp is littered with frozen garbage, and cleanup is likely to take years

    The highest camp on the world’s tallest mountain is littered with garbage that is going to take years to clean up, according to a Sherpa who led a team that worked to clear trash and dig up dead bodies frozen for years near Mount Everest’s peak. The Nepal government-funded team of soldiers and Sherpas removed 11 tons (24,000 pounds) of garbage, four dead bodies and a skeleton from Everest during this year's climbing season. Ang Babu Sherpa, who led the team of Sherpas, said there could be as much as 40-50 tons (88,000-110,000 pounds) of garbage still at South Col, the last camp before climbers make their attempt on the summit.

  • 'Albino Brown Bear' Airlifted to Arctic After Being Mistaken for Polar Bear?

    Some have nicknamed Joey the “unluckiest bear in the world.”

  • Green MP opposes 100-mile corridor of wind farm pylons in his Suffolk constituency

    The joint leader of the Green Party is planning to oppose net zero plans backed by the Labour Government to build pylons in Suffolk to transport offshore wind power.

  • A ‘potentially historic’ heat wave intensifies along the West Coast, as dangerous wildfires spread

    An extremely dangerous, unusually long heat wave is intensifying and spreading up the West Coast – and there will be no relief for days.

  • Mapped: Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Mexico as Category 2 storm

    Hurricane Beryl could make a ‘rare’ double strike in Mexico and potentially impact southeastern United States

  • Fusion power could transform how we get our energy — and worsen problems it’s intended to solve

    Some processes that support fusion energy fuel climate change and may harm the environment.

  • Grenada minister tells UN: hurricane-devastated Islands need anything for `a human being to survive'

    The minister for the two islands in Grenada that Hurricane Beryl first slammed into with catastrophic winds had a simple message for U.N. and other humanitarian officials who asked what was needed: “Anything that would allow a human being to survive.” Tevin Andrews, who was in the devastated island of Carriacou Friday where Beryl first made landfall as the earliest category 4 storm in the Atlantic, also said when asked whether there was flat space for humanitarian workers to set up tents: “The whole island is flat.” Simon Springett, the top U.N. humanitarian official for the eastern Caribbean and Barbados, who listened to Andrews’ call and relayed his remarks to U.N. correspondents said he didn’t want to sound over-dramatic, “but the islands were really dramatically, catastrophically, catastrophically hit.”

  • Russian strikes leave thousands in northern Ukraine without power and water

    The northern Sumy region, which borders Russia, was plunged into dark after Russian strikes late Friday damaged energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said. Hours later, the Ukrainian public broadcaster reported that Russian drones hit the provincial capital, also called Sumy, cutting

  • Council workers clear the country's 'most dangerous plant' from river valley

    A resident has raised concerns that children could be hurt by giant hogweed at Moses Gate County Park.

  • Survival story as Hurricane Beryl razes smallest inhabited island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

    Mayreu is one of the smallest inhabited islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Hurricane Beryl nearly erased it from the map. “Everything was flying all over the place," Mayreau resident James Alexander said recalling the storm, “I saw a tank full of water lifted up and swirl in the air."

  • Weather tracker: Hurricane Beryl causes devastation across Caribbean

    Beryl is earliest category 5 Atlantic hurricane in about 100 years of record keeping

  • Hurricane Beryl aims at Mexico tourist hotspots

    STORY: Hurricane Beryl is rushing towards Mexico's tourist hotspots, after battering the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.Around 3,000 tourists had been evacuated from Isla Mujeres back to the mainland near Cancun, while at least 100 flights were cancelled at Cancun International Airport.Authorities closed beaches in the southern Mexico town of Tulum and urged people to remain indoors, though that hasn't stopped some tourists from hanging around.“I did not know a storm was coming. I don’t watch the news so I didn’t realize it. I was supposed to fly to Belize tomorrow but I cannot go until later.”Late on Thursday Beryl strengthened again into a category 3 storm, and is forecast to cross Cancun and Tulum.Earlier in the day, coastal businesses could be seen preparing for its arrival.And the director of the US National Hurricane Center, Michael Brennan has warned of serious flooding.“And Beryl is again quickly moving west northwest where you can see the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula here. We could get some heavy rainfall, but we're expecting isolated amounts as high as ten inches in portions of the Yucatan, basically just south of Cozumel and Cancun area. So the combination of that rainfall and the storm surge in coastal areas could create some very serious flooding."The storm left behind a deadly trail of destruction across several smaller Caribbean islands over the past few days.On the Cayman Islands, phone footage shows sea rocks scattered by high waves, which breached a sea wall.While on Union Island, locals sifted through debris and destroyed homes. At least three people have died.The tally of storm fatalities in Caribbean islands including Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and in northern Venezuela, is expected to rise as communications are restored.Beryl's destructive power, coming so early in the hurricane season, shows the consequences of a warmer Atlantic Ocean. Scientists say human-caused climate change is fueling extreme weather.Weather forecasters say the storm is expected to move toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas late in the weekend.

  • Scientists Have Invented a Machine That Can Turn Air into Water

    A prototype successfully pulled liters of water from dry air — a promising advancement as water scarcity becomes an increasing global problem

  • Beryl's waves flood Grand Cayman condo complex

    STORY: :: Hurricane Beryl's waves flood a Grand Cayman condo complex:: July 4, 2024:: Prospect, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands:: Filip GalbavyThe video also showed a flooded parking lot and paths submerged under water, with high waves crashing against the shore. The once-sturdy seawall of the complex has been destroyed, with sea rocks scattered across the garden, emphasizing the storm's power. The relentless high waves and strong winds continue to batter the shore, compounding the damage.Residents and officials are now assessing the full extent of the devastation, with recovery and rebuilding efforts expected to be substantial.

  • Firefighting foam spill in Abbotsford creek alarms residents

    The City of Abbotsford is working on clean up plans after after firefighting foam leaked into a creek on Wednesday, causing residents in the area to raise concerns. According to fire Chief Erick Peterson, crews at a local firehall were adding firefighting foam — a chemical foam used to suppress fire — to the truck as part of a routine procedure when a disconnected hose accidentally released the foam into the city's storm water system. The foam then flowed into Stoney Creek Wednesday, and was vis

  • Wiltshire solar farm extension to be considered by planning committee

    The existing solar farm between Warminster and Amesbury could be extended if Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee give the planning application the go-ahead.

  • Mixed weather expected for Southend and Basildon ahead of 'heatwave'

    Despite earlier hopes for a July heatwave, the Met Office forecast indicates that south Essex will experience more moderate temperatures this weekend.

  • Ancient tree from India may replace petroleum, company hopes

    An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy as a petroleum-alternative. (AP Video: Daniel Kozin)