Large solar farm to power thousands of homes

Folkestone and Hythe District Council aims to build the facility on agricultural land in Court-at-Street, Lympne

A large solar farm is set to power almost half of a Kent town and may make millions for the local council.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council plans to build the facility on agricultural land in Court-at-Street, Lympne, near the Otterpool Park site.

It is estimated that 50% of the average annual demand of the 8,500 homes, which are due to be built on and around the former Folkestone Racecourse, near Sellindge, could be generated on site, the council said.

Council leader Jim Martin said the plans were to "create a credible pathway to a net-zero development".

The authority's final goal is to build 10,000 homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The remainder of the demand would come from suppliers of renewable energy via the national grid, making the new town net zero in operation, the council added.

At a cabinet meeting last week, it was revealed the scheme will generate £21m over the next three decades.

"One of the beauties of this is that the solar installation builds with the development," Mr Martin said.

"There's no point putting panels in the field when you haven't got houses to connect them to."

The solar farm, which could expand onto neighbouring land in the future, is set to be run by renewables firm SNRG.

Documents show that the site will be built in phases, with phase one covering an area of about 47 acres, and the second covering 49 acres.

Clarification 3 March 2025 :This article was updated to reflect that the solar farm is expected to provide 50% of the town's energy needs. It previously omitted the exact percentage.