New solar farm approved near coast

The solar farm will be located on around 20.5 hectares of land to the south of Fen Lane in Conisholme

A new solar farm has been approved to be built next to existing wind and solar farms near the Lincolnshire coast.

The site is at the south of Fen Lane in Conisholme, roughly mid-way between Louth and Donna Nook.

Renewable energy company Ecotricity applied for around 20.5 hectares of land for ground-mounted solar panels, which will operate for up to 40 years.

It was approved by East Lindsey District Council on 2 August with developers given three years to commence construction.

Work will begin once a method statement and archaeological study have been approved by the local authority.

The site would be an extension to the current renewable energy developments in the area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

These include 20 wind turbines that were approved at Fen Farm in 2007 and 5,000 solar panels that formed part of phase one of the Fen Farm Solar project.

It has been operational since 2011.

The proposed farm has a generation capacity of around 14MW and could meet the annual energy needs of approximately 6,500 homes.

Once the electricity has been extracted for a maximum of 40 years, the land would be returned to agricultural farmland, with enhancements for long-term sustainability.

The flood risk is considered low and there are no public rights of way passing through the land.

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