Otterpool Park: Solar farm could power portion of new garden town

Otterpool Park near Folkestone is set to be a bigger town than nearby Hythe

A proposal to power nearly 40% of a new "garden town" in Kent from a solar farm is being explored.

Plans for Otterpool Park involve 10,000 homes with shops, schools, roads and green spaces on land near the former Folkestone racecourse

Developers are being urged to consider setting up a solar farm on council-owned land in Lympne, south-west of the proposed settlement.

Land was bought by Folkestone and Hythe District Council in 2020 for £25m.

On Thursday, the council's cabinet voted to explore possibilities for a new solar farm and will urge the developers to work with the authority to present a detailed business plan for consideration.

Councillor Tim Prater said: "It's important that we're looking creatively at land which we own and making sure that we are doing the best thing financially and environmentally and in terms of energy stability at this stage".

Councillor Jim Martin said the decision was not final and "a detailed business case will be brought back to us".

"We are determined to make Otterpool Park an exemplar in sustainable development so investigating this solar park option fits perfectly with that ambition," he added.

Bosses said the scheme would in effect create a "second town" for the district, with it being second in scale between Folkestone and neighbouring Hythe.

Otterpool Park was first proposed in 2012, but gained planning permission in April in a scheme led by council-owned company, Otterpool Park LLC.

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