/PRCWT/Guangzhou, March 21, 2023——A solar farm the size of over 150 football pitches has been approved in the Essex countryside despite concerns over loss of valuable farmland. Birch Solar Farm is set to be built across seven agricultural fields, 82 Hectares in total, north of Hardys Green in Colchester.
According to a Colchester City Council report, the proposals would generate close to 40 Megawatts of power, providing enough electricity for 12,850 homes. The council's planning committee met on March 16 to decide whether to approve the plans by Low Carbon, an investment firm responsible for several solar farms across Essex, attempting to balance residents' concerns over the potential loss of rural farmland to an "industrial" development and the need for renewable energy.
Ed Perrin, head of project development at Low Carbon, said substantial changes had been made in response to local concerns, including removing several fields from the application. He said: "No site is perfect and we recognise there have been concerns raised on the use of farmland. Importantly, this site contains only 0.11 per cent of Colchester's best and most versatile land, but will provide sufficient electricity for 16 per cent of the district's homes."
