{"id":321878,"date":"2025-12-18T00:15:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T00:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/321878\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T00:15:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T00:15:25","slug":"solar-farm-on-fylde-and-preston-border-will-generate-enough-electricity-to-power-14000-homes-blog-preston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/321878\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar farm on Fylde and Preston border will generate enough electricity to power 14,000 homes \u2013 Blog Preston"},"content":{"rendered":"

The facility \u2013 south of the A584 Preston New Road \u2013 will be operated by European energy firm Vattenfall and will function for 40 years before the site is restored solely to farming use.<\/p>\n

Councillors on the committee unanimously approved the 50-megawatt project \u2013 subject to the imposition of 28 conditions \u2013 supporting a recommendation made by council planning officials who concluded that the benefits the installation would bring would \u201coutweigh the harm\u201d.<\/p>\n

That harm included the acknowledged impact of the development on the sprawling plot and its rural surroundings.<\/p>\n

Although made up of green fields, the site is not within the greenbelt \u2013 and Rob Buffham, Fylde Council\u2019s planning case officer, told the committee that the site \u201cisn\u2019t in an isolated position\u201d. He noted the presence of businesses and buildings in the vicinity which \u201cdiminish the importance\u201d of the location\u2019s countryside designation.<\/p>\n

However, he acknowledged it was \u201cinevitable\u201d that the solar farm, which will take around 14 months to complete, would nevertheless \u201calter the appearance of the site to [make it]\u2026more industrial in nature \u2013 and that will significantly impact upon the landscape character\u2026of the surrounding area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The energy-generating operation will see rows of \u2018photovoltaic arrays\u2019, each 2.3 metres tall, sited across the plot. \u00a0 A substation and associated kit \u2013 up to 7.4 metres in height \u2013 will also be required, along with seven, 2.9-metre transformers and two similarly-sized storage containers. \u00a0 The location will be monitored by around 65 pole-mounted CCTV cameras, standing three metres off the ground.<\/p>\n

One of the conditions of the permission granted is that the existing hedgerows on the site will be maintained at a minimum height of three metres \u2013 and Vattenfall has also provided a so-called \u2018unilateral undertaking\u2019 that will ensure the hedges surrounding the development, along Preston New Road, will be kept at least two metres tall.<\/p>\n

Mr. Buffham said the resultant \u201cscreening\u201d would mean that the effect on available views of the site from various approaches would be \u201cminimal\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, committee member Cllr Sandra Pitman said that the additional planting that will be needed in order to plug gaps in that visual shield must not be allowed to be bland \u2013 and should create an interesting \u201cmixture\u201d for the benefit of both appearance and wildlife.<\/p>\n

The meeting heard that officers would liaise with the applicant to ensure that the new hedgerows were \u201cnative\u201d to the site.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, concerns were also raised over the the potential \u201ccumulative\u201d effect of the plans, in the event that other renewable energy projects in the area are given the go-ahead \u2013 including another solar farm proposed at nearby Newton-with-Scales and the controversial Morgan and Morecambe offshore windfarm project, whose on-shore cable corridor would connect to two substations close to the same village.<\/p>\n

Committee member Cllr Martin Evans said it felt as though Fylde was \u201cthe epicentre of renewable energy with everything that we\u2019re being hit with at the moment\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to argue against the fact that the area is going to be significantly changed forever and become less rural and more industrial,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is undoubtedly a cumulative impact, in a detrimental way, on the residents of the area and\u2026that shouldn\u2019t be overlooked, because I think it does affect everybody\u2019s way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Newton-with-Scales and Freckleton parish councils objected to the Clifton Marsh development on the grounds of the combined effect of the scheme with the other projects in the pipeline for the area.<\/p>\n

However, Rob Buffham said his assessment was that there would not be any \u201cinter-visibility\u201d between Clifton Marsh and the\u00a0potential neighbouring schemes, because the former was so \u201clow-level and so well-screened\u201d.<\/p>\n

The committee also heard that Fylde\u2019s own local plan is \u201chighly supportive\u201d of renewable energy, while the agricultural land on which the site will be developed \u2013 which is currently in use for both arable and livestock purposes \u2013 is not of the highest grade and will nevertheless continue to have an agricultural function during the lifetime of the solar farm.<\/p>\n

\u2018Community will benefit\u2019<\/p>\n

Responding to the approval of permission for its project, Vattenfall said it was exploring the creation of a community fund \u201cto deliver lasting benefits for local residents\u201d.<\/p>\n

Opportunities to support improvements to footpaths and invest in recreational projects, helping to enhance access and enjoyment of the local area, have already been highlighted, the firm said.<\/p>\n

It added that the scheme had been \u201ccarefully designed\u2026to ensure that it delivers biodiversity benefits by creating habitats which will support a wide variety of wildlife\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrassland beneath the solar panels, combined with sheep grazing and improved drainage, will help reduce flood risk. In combination with habitat creation elsewhere on site, this will provide foraging and nesting opportunities for farmland bird species such as skylark and waders such as snipe.<\/p>\n

\u201cNative broadleaf tree planting and hedgerow and ditch enhancements will help to link habitats together across the site for the benefit of many bird, mammal, amphibian and invertebrate species,\u201d the company claimed.<\/p>\n

Emma Metcalfe, project manager for the Clifton Marsh Solar Farm project, said it presented \u201ca fantastic opportunity\u201d all round.<\/p>\n

\u201cSolar power is cheap, low carbon, and reliable, and helps make Britain\u2019s energy system more secure while stabilising costs for bill-payers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to working closely with the community as the project progresses and continuing discussions on initiatives that bring lasting benefits for local people, Ms. Metcalfe added.<\/p>\n

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