An application submitted to Wiltshire Council has revealed that a new solar farm could be built south of the A342, near Pewsey, 1.5km below the village of Wilsford.

An EIA screening opinion was sent to Wiltshire Council in June by Ampyr Solar Europe and a decision has now been made.

An application of this type is to determine if a development requires an Environmental Impact Assessment and is typically the first step taken by developers in planning a solar farm.

The location plan for the solar farm.The location plan for the solar farm. (Image: Ampyr Solar Europe)

This is to clarify the regulatory requirements and identify any significant environmental issues that would need to be addressed in a future planning application.

In this case, the application is described as: “EIA Screening Opinion for proposed development of a solar farm with generating capacity of up to 49.9MW with up to 49.9MW of BESS and associated works, equipment and necessary infrastructure.”

According to the developer, the size of the proposed development would be approximately 58.2ha.

Wiltshire Council has concluded that an Environmental Impact Assessment would in fact need to be carried out for this project in the centre of the county.

Carrying out this assessment  will be one of the next steps for the developers of the potential solar farm.

  • You can learn more about planning applications that affect your neighbourhood by visiting the Public Notice Portal - https://publicnoticeportal.uk