The construction of a large-scale solar farm in East Cambridgeshire has been given the go-ahead following a successful application for planning permission submitted by Axis.
Our team conducted the Environmental Impact Assessment for this sensitive site on the edge of Cambridgeshire’s Fenland landscape adjacent to National Grid’s Burwell substation on behalf of our client AGR & Fenland Farming Ltd.
The designs we prepared included landscape integration and screening in the form of extensive reedbeds around the perimeter of the 50mw solar farm. The reedbeds, combined with species-rich grassland and the removal of land from intensive agricultural use, would generate substantial net biodiversity gains at the site.
In the long term, the reedbeds also support the National Trust’s Wicken Fen Vision, which seeks to re-wild large areas of the Fenland landscape between Wicken and Cambridge.
The plans were prepared to illustrate the development’s sensitive landscape mitigation and highlight the benefits of renewable energy in working towards net zero – both were key considerations in the planning balance.
As a result, the application was approved unanimously by the East Cambridgeshire planning committee following officer recommendation.