Solar Site Search
Solar Site Search May 2015 During the course of 2014, there was a tightening of Government’s approach to determining the acceptability of ground-mounted solar farms. Constraint Mapping For a number of years now, national planning policy has encouraged the re-use of brownfield land over greenfield and for significant development to take place on poorer quality agricultural land rather than the ‘best and most versatile’. These overarching aims were just that: ‘overarching’ in the sense that they related to all forms of development and ‘aims’ rather than absolute requirements. Government’s Planning Practice Guidance of March 2014 highlighted a need for decision-makers to focus solar farm proposals on previously developed and non-agricultural land. Upon a strict interpretation, the Practice Guidance introduces a requirement on developers of large scale solar farms to carry out an alternative site search exercise in order to demonstrate why their application site is the most appropriate, when compared to others. This raises a number of questions for those pursuing solar farm proposals through the planning process, namely: 1. When is it necessary to undertake an alternative site search? 2. What is a reasonable area in which to search for alternative sites? Where land is designated at a relatively high grade it should not be preferred for the siting of [solar farm] developments. 3. What are the key factors in discounting alternative sites as being less preferable? Nick Boles Agricultural Land Classification 4. How can a search assessment be undertaken that is robust yet manageable and cost-effective? NLP’s solar site search tool can help answer these questions. P.T.O nlpplanning.com Terrain Modelling NLP’s solar site search tool NLP has expertise in developing bespoke methodologies to assess potential alternative sites for a range of land uses, including major development in the Green Belt, proposals in national parks, residential development on greenfield land, as well as retail proposals and commercial leisure uses in out-of-centre locations. Our methodologies have been tested and accepted by local planning authorities and Planning Inspectors at appeal. We have also previously inputted into practice guidance prepared by Government in respect of alternative site assessment. What is NLP’s solar site search tool? In response to the Planning Practice Guidance’s approach to solar farms, NLP has combined it’s experience in alternative site assessment with our in-house geographical information systems (GIS) service in order to devise a site search tool for assessing alternative sites for ground-mounted solar farms. Our GIS service is capable of mapping, UK-wide, agricultural land classifications overlaid with national and locally designated environmental constraints, topographical data, heritage assets, and other potential constraints to development (including flooding). The results of the GIS-based mapping exercise are then refined, following a robust methodology, to account for other relevant local circumstances, including the availability of previously developed land. NLP is then able to use this information to present a reasoned and justified case as to why the selected solar farm site represents the most suitable site compared to other available land. Benefits of NLP’s solar site search tool Our solar site search tool can be of benefit at two key stages in the process: ...there is no excuse for putting solar farms in the wrong places...applications for renewable energy development, such as solar farms, should be approved only if the impact, including the impact on landscape the visual and the cumulative impact - is or can be made acceptable. That is a very high test. Nick Boles • Site sifting: when searching for suitable and viable sites for solar farm development; and • Site justification: when demonstrating the appropriateness of a site at pre-application and planning application stages. NLP has a proven track record in delivering effective planning consultancy services to a range of clients in the energy sector and has been at the forefront of developing tools to provide sound and reasoned evidence in support of its client’s development proposals. For more information in respect of NLP’s solar site search service, please contact us. Contact Us Newcastle Anthony Greally [email protected] 0191 261 5685 nlpplanning.com Leeds Jonathan Standen [email protected] 0113 397 1397 Bristol Andy Cockett [email protected] 0117 403 1980
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