Jaguar Land Rover submits plans for 70-acre solar farm in Gaydon
LUXURY car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has submitted plans to build a 28-hectare solar farm at its site in Gaydon to support its aims of becoming carbon neutral.
The company has identified agricultural land, which sits between the British Motor Museum, Manor Farm and Gaydon Farm, for the scheme. The proposed development would generate 20.1MW of renewable electricity and would support JLR’s transition to a low carbon economy and reach their aim of being carbon neutral by 2039. It would be in operation for around 40 years and would provide 40 per cent of the firm’s electricity needs.
JLR had considered other greenfield areas within its ownership but those were discounted for various reasons, including: the land not being a sufficient area, limited connectivity to their complex for ease of access, limitations in relation to underground cabling and the presence of planning allocations.
According to the planning documents, the land alongside the motor museum was chosen because of its close proximity to the highway network with access available from the B4100, the access route would result in no construction vehicles entering the area from Gaydon, it was sufficient distance away from heritage assets and would be sufficiently screened from view by the hedgerows and tress, as well as an ecological bund on the southern boundary.
It would also result in the least disturbance to JLR’s operations, it said in a design and access statement.
The planning documents added that through the operational phase, the land beneath and between the solar arrays would be open for biodiversity enhancement measures, including the sowing of grass seed and wildflower seeds.
With regards to construction traffic, JLR says vehicles approaching the site would do so outside of peak hours, deliveries would be outside of typical busy periods and during standard working hours only, any damage to the public highway would be repaired at the manufacturer’s cost and all vehicles would be required to clean their wheels before leaving the site.
Security fencing would also be installed prior to construction commencing to limit public access.
After the 40-year life expectancy of the solar farm, the land would be restored to agricultural use. If JLR wanted to continue to generate electricity on-site, this would be subject to another full planning application.
Stratford District Council has until 1st March 2023 to make a decision.
The authority has already given the green light to solar farms in Crimscote and Newbold Pacey this year, while plans for a solar farm near Harbury were rejected in October amid urbanisation concerns.
