Solar power plant of national significance planned
Richard Evans Local Democracy Reporter
A major solar farm of national significance is planned for land close to five ‘Scheduled Monuments’ including a burial chamber and hillfort.
Welsh Government has notified Denbighshire County Council about its intentions for an environmental impact assessment for a development near Bodelwydden and St George, Abergele of national significance.
Plans are underway for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a solar photovoltaic electricity generating system and battery energy storage system (‘BESS’).
The plans include associated solar arrays, inverters, transformers, cabling, substations, access tracks, landscaping, ecological enhancement areas, and associated ancillary developments.
Scheduled Monuments
The land is described as near Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, on the border with Conwy County Council and located to be within 2km of five ‘Scheduled Monuments’ in the ‘study area’.
These include St George’s Well, which is 330m south of the site, and the First World War Practice Trenches at Bodelwyddan Park, 450m to the north, as well as Tyddyn Bleiddyn Burial Chamber, Bedd-y-Cawr Hillfort, and The Mount.
The land is considered moderate quality agricultural land (grade 3b), with some small areas of good quality land (3a).
There are other existing solar farms in the area as well as a windfarm substation planned for St Asaph.
Support
Both councils are being consulted and have until January 31 to respond to the ‘scoping’ process.
Abergele councillor Paul Luckock welcomed the plans. “My attitude to all of these environmental schemes is that they are positive,” he said.
“They (Welsh Government) will need to take into account very local issues, but in principle I’d be totally supportive.”
He added: “In principle I’m supportive of these developments because, not just from the environmental point of view but for development in general, we need to generate the economy locally, and if people are going to invest, then I’d welcome it.”
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So where are we supposed to grow the stuff grown there at present? This is just another quick get rich scheme. The only place that these light solar panels should be placed is on roof tops.
It isn’t prime arable, it’ll be pastureland. Livestock, especially sheep, can still browse beneath the panels.
Crops can be grown on Grade 3 a and 3b agricultural land.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-land-assess-proposals-for-development/guide-to-assessing-development-proposals-on-agricultural-land
The Chinese economy being bolstered again and in 30 years we will be left with the scrap.
The councillor needs to understand unless it is developed by local there will be limited benefits to the community, some opaque developer with even opaquer funders will be the main beneficiary.
Are there any grants or financal involvement from the welsh government or is this just a planning application?.