Plans to build solar farm on former landfill site approved by Horsham Council
A report to the committee said the solar farm would run for 40 years and be capable of generating some 12.5MW of power
Plans to build a solar farm on a former landfill site have been approved by Horsham District Council.
The application from Valencia Energy Ltd for the site in, Henfield Road, Small Dole, was given the nod by the planning committee on Tuesday, August 5.
A report to the committee said the solar farm would run for 40 years and be capable of generating some 12.5MW of power – enough to power about 3,500 homes.
An on-site energy storage system will be able to store 4MW of generated solar power, which would then be released back to the grid when needed.
The council received eight letters objecting to the plans. While Upper Beeding Parish Council supported the application in principle, it felt the location was ‘not suitable in its current state’.
It was a concern shared by Roger Noel (Con, Bramber, Upper Beeding & Woodmancote). As a ward member, Mr Noel was not allowed to vote on the matter but he objected to the plans on two grounds – the fact the site sits just 300 metres from the National Park, and the risk of fire from the methane being emitted by the former landfill.
He raised concerns about safety, pointing out that yellow triangles labelled ‘EX’ marked the entrance to footpaths running towards the site. EX means ‘explosive atmosphere’.
Mr Noel questioned whether they should commit themselves to ‘such an environmental time bomb’.
The committee, though, were happy with conditions attached to the planning permission, which required a fire strategy/safety report and a management plan to deal with the risks associated with the contamination of the site, be presented before work started.
Dennis Livingstone (Lib Dem, Nuthurst & Lower Beeding) said: “We need solar panels, we need a resilient electrical supply for this country. As long as the risks are understood and mitigated necessarily with regard to fire safety, etc., then from what I see I am minded to approve this application.”
The application was approved by 12 votes to zero.
Work on the site is expected to take three months to complete.
The storage batteries will be lithium iron phosphate, which are said to be more stable and less susceptible to posing a fire risk than the more common lithium ion batteries.