Links Solar Farm

Background:

Links Solar Farm is a 65 hectare site on farmland at Braintree, Essex.  The Braintree District Council has declared a climate emergency. The developer, Low Carbon, wanted to develop a solar photovoltaic farm with battery storage that would operate for 40 years and provide clean, renewable energy for over 11,000 local homes.

Challenge:

As the site was farmland, the planning application required the scheme to demonstrate how habitats would be protected, to prevent an impact on the biodiversity and to minimise landscape and visual impacts. 

The planning application also needed to include the associated infrastructure associated with the battery storage. 

DWD services:

The solar planning team at DWD worked closely with both Braintree District Council and Essex County Council in addition to other statutory consultees in order to fully address the minor technical issues that were raised throughout the course of the application. 

The team provided the expert planning advice and project management required to take the project from the pre-app and consultation stages through to the grant of planning permission.  

Benefits:

The Links Solar Farm  will generate enough renewable power to provide over 11,000 homes in Essex while achieving a biodiversity net gain.  The scheme will help to meet national and local objectives for reducing carbon emissions and reducing reliance on fossil fuels