PLANS have been submitted to develop an 86-acre solar farm on land near St Mary Bourne which, if approved, would supply power for more than 7,000 homes.

BSR Energy has submitted its planning application to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for permission to construct the project on land at Lower Wyke Farm.

The proposed 29MW (megawatt) Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park would produce enough renewable energy to power approximately 7,252 homes in the UK

The project site is located on land north of Walworth Road, southwest of St Mary Bourne.

READ MORE: St Mary Bourne solar farm: Plans progressing for 86-acre farm

As previously reported, a community consultation on the proposed Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park took place between Monday, November 7 and Monday, December 5 last year (extended until December 23 for six properties missed in the original consultation communications). The consultation included a drop-in event in St Mary Bourne village which was attended by 45 people.

Feedback received during the community consultation was used to finalise BSR’s proposal in the submitted application for Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park.

If planning consent is granted, a Community Benefit Fund will be established which will offer up to £29,000 in grants to support local projects and benefit the local community.

Developer BSR Energy is behind a number of projects that currently provide over 600,000 MWhr (megawatt hours) of renewable energy annually across the UK. These projects together have avoided over 140,000 tonnes of CO2 being released into the earth’s atmosphere, and power an average of 159,042 UK homes via renewable energy every year.

Sarah Hymas, Project Manager at BSR, said: “Thank you to everyone who engaged with our consultation on Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park. The feedback received has been reviewed by the project team and planners, ahead of finalising our application for planning consent.

“We were encouraged that over half of the respondents were in support of the project coming forward, showing a clear understanding of the UK’s need for renewable energy development. 

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“Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park will aid Basingstoke and Deane District Council in addressing the Climate Emergency it declared in 2019 and in achieving its aim of becoming a carbon-neutral borough by 2030.”

If the project is granted consent, it is expected that construction will commence in 2027 due to planned upgrades in the local area by National Grid. Construction will last for approximately six months until the Solar Park becomes operational.

For more information on Lower Wyke Farm Solar Park, visit the project website: britishrenewables.com/projects/lower-wyke-farm-solar-park.