Plans for new solar farm at car manufacturer site

The new solar farm would be 492 ft (150m) south of Toyota's current one

A planned new solar farm at Toyota's manufacturing plant could provide a fifth of the energy the company needs to produce 150,000 cars a year, documents say.

The Japanese carmaker has submitted plans to South Derbyshire District Council for a 56-acre solar farm to the north-west of its Burnaston plant near Derby.

In its application, the firm said the solar farm would produce 16 megawatts of electricity a year, which it said would be enough to meet 19% of the site's energy needs.

More than 2,500 staff are based at Toyota's Burnaston facilities, which make up the majority of its UK manufacturing operations.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Toyota said the agricultural land where the proposed site is was last used in 2018.

The firm added that the expansion "will allow them to remain competitive and continue to provide significant employment to the local area".

If approved, the new solar farm would be 492 ft (150m) to the south of Toyota's existing smaller 4.1 megawatt solar farm, which was built in 2011.

In its application, Toyota said the solar farm was "unlikely to have a significant impact on any nearby developments".

It said previous applications indicated "the council has previously been amenable to expansions of the site and the use of additional land".

"[The] factory has consistently been in the forefront of efficient manufacturing, through effective implementation of the Toyota production system, and Burnaston enjoys a special status as one of Toyota's global sustainable plants," Toyota said.

"The proposed solar farm development will help ensure [it] remains at the forefront of sustainable manufacturing and working towards making the UK a green super power in line with the government's goals."