Views are being sought on the building of a potential new 10,500 panel solar farm just north of Bailrigg Lane in Lancaster.
Subject to planning and other permissions, the city council say the development at Burrow Beck could offset 80% of their electricity consumption.
Since declaring a climate emergency in 2019, the council has been working to reduce its CO2 emissions. As part of the commitment to achieve net zero, the council has been carrying out a review of land holdings to determine which parcels could accommodate renewable energy.
The council currently consumes 5GWh (giga-watt hours) of electricity per annum, and this is expected to rise considerably by 2030 as the council transitions from fossil fuels to electrically powered heat pumps and vehicles.
Burrow Beck has been identified as a site that could accommodate solar photovoltaics and the Council has been developing a proposal to deliver a 4MW (mega-watt) plant consisting of approximately 10,500 solar panels.
The delivery of the scheme would enable the council to generate around 4GWh of renewable energy per annum, which is equivalent to the electrical usage of around 1,300 homes. This will initially offset around 80% of the council’s electricity consumption, saving in the region of 800 tCO2e (tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent) per annum.
The council has begun an informal public consultation process, seeking views from residents and neighbouring properties on the development. The closing date for comments is Tuesday 1 August 2023. The initial layout plan of the site and further details can be viewed below.
The delivery of the scheme is subject to planning permission being granted, and also to securing final Cabinet approval. It is anticipated that this will be provided by the end of Autumn 2023. Should planning permission and related approvals be provided, the council would aim to start implementing the project in approximately 12-months’ time, aiming to complete before the end of summer 2024.
The Proposal
The proposal is to install a c.4MW solar farm to include access, a substation, inverter stations, transformers, boundary fencing, CCTV apparatus and landscaping enhancements across a site area of c.6.6 hectares (ha).
The Site
The site is located to the south of Lancaster and is bordered by the watercourse Burrow Beck, beyond which is Scotforth, a residential suburb of Lancaster. To the east is open agricultural land, beyond which is the M6 motorway. Bailrigg Lane borders the site to the south, beyond which is main Lancaster University campus. The A6 forms the western boundary of the site, beyond which is student accommodation (established in 2022) and the railway line.
The proposed site covers an area of approximately 6.6 hectares (ha) and is currently in agricultural use, with pockets of hedgerows and trees within the site the site and mature trees to the northern boundary.
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