Plans for 69-acre solar farm on greenbelt land between New Milton and Walkford
Plans for a 69-acre solar farm on greenbelt land at the edge of New Milton and Walkford have been unveiled.
The Walkford Moor Solar Farm, north of Walkford Road, would produce enough energy to power 5,000 homes a year.
The scheme will have a capacity of up to 15 megawatts of “clean energy”, says the firm behind it, Infraland & Boultbee Brooks Renewable Energy.
The solar farm would be in place for up to 40 years after which it would be decommissioned, the panels removed from the site with “as many items as possible recycled”, and then returned to farmland.
The farm will consist of static rows of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on metal frames set at vertical angles of between 10 and 25 degrees. They would be a maximum of three metres in height, with meadow flowers and grassland between the rows.
A “deer-type fence” will form the perimeter made of wooden posts and gates. Access to the site will be from Wyndham Road or Walkford Lane.
The farm was “carefully selected” to “ensure it met technical and environmental criteria including a “viable grid connection nearby with the capability of accepting the power generated”.
It is within the greenbelt but the company, which is working on 16 potential solar farm sites in the UK, says “Proposals of this kind may be deemed appropriate as they are critical low-carbon infrastructure and temporary in nature.”
It says the “transition to a low carbon energy system is necessary to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change” and achieve the UK target of net-zero greenhouse by 2050.
In a letter to Savills, which is acting on behalf of Infraland & Boultbee Brooks, the NFDC has said the development would have “significant environmental effects” and require an Environmental Impact Assessment.
A planning application is set to submitted this year, and Infraland & Boultbee Brooks is asking for feedback on the proposals on the website walkfordmoorsolarfarm.co.uk
There will also be a public engagement event at New Milton Memorial centre on Wednesday 28th June 3-7pm.
