Plans submitted for solar farm at quarry site

Permission has been sought for a solar farm to be constructed on a quarry site

Plans to build a solar farm within a quarry site have been submitted for consideration.

Permission is being sought by Allen Newport Limited to build it to the north of the Cavenham quarry plant site between Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.

If approved by Suffolk County Council, it would operate for 24 years and generate 1.35 megawatts of electricity.

A statement submitted alongside the application said the energy generated would support the quarry's operations, including mineral processing and waste recycling.

It would allow the company, bought by the SRC Group in 2023, to reduce its reliance on non-renewable energy like diesel generators.

Building is only estimated to create two extra lorry movements a day, over four months, without having an impact on road safety.

The statement said there were no policy-based reasons to refuse the application, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The company is also looking for permission to build a new concrete batching plant, infrastructure to support it, and new access.

The existing weighbridge is part of the same application as a retrospective element.

The council was consulting on the application, which can be found on the authority's planning register.