UK’s biggest solar farm will be just outside Lincoln

The government has given the go ahead to the UK’s biggest ever solar farm, which is being developed near Scopwick, Lincoln.

Permission for the Springwell Solar Farm was granted to EDF power solutions UK after a public enquiry and the energy giant says it will power 180,000 homes – around half of households in Lincolnshire

The company also acquired the Gate Burton Energy Park near Gainsborough last year, which will have enough solar capacity to fuel 160,000 homes.

Springwell, which is off the A15 road,  is in North Kesteven and the district council had raised objections to the plans.

Leader Cllr Richard Wright explained: “Those objections we did raise were mainly in respect of how the scheme impacted on the best and most versatile agricultural land, with very nearly half of it taking up land of this classification.

“We would still ask that through careful location of the panels and onsite infrastructure this is kept to a minimum and also to consider battery technologies that have the lowest environmental impact and are demonstrably the safest.

“We are also pleased that the Secretary of State has listened and responded to our concerns regarding the timings of works in relation to the proposed new substation at Navenby, and that we have secured significant financial contributions of over £2m towards delivering a skills and education package and biodiversity gains over the 40-year lifetime of development.

“We welcome this final decision on what has already been a long-running project and will now look forward to EDF fulfilling its commitment in relation to community benefits in line with our adopted policy.”

Springwell will have a fixed life span of around 40 years and EDF said it can be built with a limited impact on the land beneath it.

“Once the panels are removed, the land could be returned to agricultural use. We also want Springwell to benefit the local area throughout its lifetime and we will work closely with the community to identify opportunities to support local initiatives.”

Work took place around the site in February and March to plant new hedgerows to fill gaps along the A15 and the Spires and Steeples Way between Blankney and Scopwick.