Solar farm approved for floodplain

Padero Solar Ltd (PS Renewables) has been granted permission to create a 16-megawatt solar farm in Twigworth

Plans to build a solar farm on a floodplain near Gloucester have been approved.

Padero Solar Ltd has permission to build a 16-megawatt solar farm on more than 64 acres of land in Twigworth, near Gloucester.

But councillor Paul Ockelton raised concerns at Tewkesbury Borough Council's planning committee meeting on Tuesday about the possibility of fires breaking out at the site.

"Water and electricity do not mix," he said. The applicant said the solar farm had been designed to be safe in the event of the worst-case flooding scenario and planning permission was approved by seven votes to two with one abstention.

Addressing the planning committee, Mr Ockelton said: "Yet this is what this recommendation in the report is asking you to do."

The farm will be built west of Twigworth Court Farm off the A38, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

It is expected to have an operational life of 40 years, after which it will be decommissioned.

Concerns were also raised about whether the emergency services would be able to access the site in the event of a flood.

The site where the solar farm will be built lies near the A38 Tewkesbury Road

Twigworth and Longford parish councils objected to the proposals and raised concerns regarding the farm's visual impact, the loss of arable land and an increase in noise.

Speaking for the applicant, Charlotte Peacock said Historic England had identified a very low level of residual harm. She said the site was outside the green belt and had been designed to be safe during "the worst case of predicted flooding".

Councillor Sarah Hands said it was a difficult decision and told the committee she can recall standing in “knee high” flood water in Twigworth and Longford to help residents.

“Saying that, it floods without having a solar farm there,” she said. Overall, she said she felt the council needed to do more to support sustainable forms of energy.