MELKSHAM Without Parish Council has raised no objections to plans for a new solar farm in Beanacre.
However, as part of their response to the planning application, the parish council has asked that the developers of the Wick Solar Farm consider reducing the number of solar panels visible to residents on Westlands Lane; and ensure that there is a transport management plan in place to manage vehicles visiting the site during construction.
The parish council has also backed concerns by Wiltshire Council’s archaeology team and their drainage engineer.
The archaeology team has lodged a ‘holding objection’ until further investigations are carried out as it has been identified that the area could hold “national important archaeological remains”.
And a Wiltshire Council drainage engineer has also lodged a ‘holding objection’ because of concerns about the solar farms impact on flooding in the area.
However, JBM Solar – the company behind the proposal – is “confident” it can address these concerns.
Speaking at Melksham Without Parish Council’s planning committee meeting last week, Adam Withers from JBM Solar explained that they would be carrying out a trial trenching survey to establish the extent of the archaeological remains to ensure they were not building on something “nationally significant”.
The JBM Solar representative also explained that he was “confident” they would also address the “drainage concerns”.
Also at the meeting cllr Mary Pile proposed to raise no objections to the application with the condition that ALL solar panels in the field next to Westlands Lane be removed from the plans – but the proposal fell.
The Wick Solar Farm proposes to build a 50-megawatt solar farm on approximately 200 acres of land at Wick Farm, Beanacre – between Westlands Lane to the south and Folly Lane to the north.
The consultation is open for comments until Thursday 24th September, and a decision on the plans by Wiltshire Council is expected by the end of November. To comment on the planning application visit the Wiltshire Council planning website and search using the reference 20/06840/FUL. www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning-applications-search
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