Poultry farm given solar development permission

The proposal for Lower Heath near Whitchurch has included 60 panels

A large poultry farm has been granted permission for a solar development.

The proposal for Lower Heath near Whitchurch has included 60 panels, with Alan Simpson Farming Ltd submitting plans.

Given the minimal maintenance required, lack of noise and low height of the arrays, "the system causes little disturbance to its surroundings", said a spokesperson for Halls Holdings Ltd, acting as an agent for the applicant.

The scheme was approved and Shropshire Council stated the impact of the proposal on "local landscape character... is relatively limited".

The existing poultry development includes 12 large poultry sheds together with a number of associated feed silos and other plant and buildings.

The site had previously been granted planning permission for an anaerobic digestion plant and associated infrastructure, but the applicant had chosen not to pursue this scheme, said the spokesperson for Halls Holdings Ltd.

'No pollution'

A solar farm would provide "a sustainable and long-term source of energy to support the ongoing operations and resilience of the working farm".

No upgrade to the grid network was required "for the site to connect to the grid", the spokesperson added, and the site would connect to existing on-site infrastructure.

"Producing energy through the use of Photovoltaic (PV) arrays is considered to be one of the most sustainable forms of energy production currently available.

"This is because they emit no pollution, produce no greenhouse gases, and use no finite fossil-fuel resources."

Council planning officer Richard Denison said the proposal would allow the generation of a renewable form of energy to match the on-site energy demands of the business and help to reduce its carbon footprint.

"As such, it is supported in principle by both national and local planning policy," stated Mr Denison.

He added that the impact of the proposal on local landscape "character and on visual amenity is relatively limited due to the topography of the site, existing vegetative cover and proposed landscaping mitigation".

"These impacts have been mitigated through the layout and design of the site, and through landscape planting and management."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.