Go ahead for solar farm plans in countryside at Thorney
Eco-hub will have 40 years lifespan
Plans to create a large solar farm and energy storage unit on the edge of Peterborough have been given the go ahead.
Peterborough City Council has approved proposals to create a 278 acre eco-hub on a 1.4 hectares site at Nutgrove Farm, Scolding Drove, Thorney.
The site is 4.5 kilometres north east of Thorney and adjacent to the Nutsgrove and Wrydecroft wind farms.
The plans have been put together by Thorney Power, which is a subsidiary of Cambridge Power, AND which has interests in similar ventures across the country.
According to documents submitted to Peterborough City Council, the Eco Hub would have a lifespan of 40 years and the solar farm would generate enough energy to offset the annual energy needs of 19,300 average homes in Peterborough.
It will feature a solar array – up to 49.9MW - made up of an unspecified number of ground mounted solar panels plus a battery energy storage system as well as an assortment of associated equipment and security fences, CCTV, a temporary compound and associated infrastructure.
The entire hub will be surrounded by a 2.1 metre high perimeter fence and CCTV system with inward-facing cameras to protect the solar panels and cabling from theft.
While granting planning approval, the council has also set a number of conditions.
These limit the lifespan of the eco-hub and demand that afterwards the land is returned to agricultural uses and that it must be of at least equal quality to that which existed before the development took place.