The Proposals

BSR Barton Close Farm Solar Park, Devon

BSR’s proposals for Land at Leamington Road would deliver the following:

  • A solar development with a total export capacity of up to 16.8MW. This is the equivalent energy production to powering 4,201 homes every year and would result in the reduction of 3,721 tonnes of CO2 per year being emitted into the atmosphere.
  • A significant opportunity for biodiversity to continue on the site. Solar panels only disturb around 5% of the ground, allowing for plants to continue to grow and animals to still pass through the site. The site would be fenced so small animals would be able to pass through the site but larger animals such as deer would not have free access into the park, however the break through the middle of the site where the PRoW is would allow for larger animals to freely pass through the field.
  • Biodiversity Net Gain of 123.48% for habitat and 35.13% for hedgerow, which far exceeds the 10% target as outlined in the Environment Act 2021.
  • The retention and management of existing habitats on site, to ensure that there is no detrimental impact on the existing condition of the habitat over the lifespan of the development. This would include the retention of existing trees and hedgerows, and the replanting of any removed hedgerows with native species and the installation of bat and bird boxes across the site.
  • The improvement of the condition of existing habitats and creation of new habitats to enhance biodiversity on site. It’s likely that this will include:
  1. The creation of new native hedgerows where required;
  2. Infill hedgerow planting where gaps occur in the existing vegetation, for betterment of the existing landscape and along the Public Right of Way (PROW); and
  3. New grassland and wildflower planting which will also enrich the area by the stream which runs along the eastern boundary Not sure this is strictly accurate- the wildflowers are being planted along the PROW, not the stream. There is a pond edge mixture being planted along the eastern boundary

The above site layout plan indicates the proposed location for the solar panels, underground cable connection route, and substation location.

  • A layout designed to minimise and mitigate any limited impact it may have on the character of the area, including the nearby Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Wappenbury Wood and Old Nun Wood. Solar developments are generally unobstructive to views as they do not require height, and BSR makes every effort to use trees and planting to screen its projects.
    • The development will have an expected operational lifespan of 40 years, after which the land can be easily returned to agricultural use.
    • An affordable and efficient form of green energy which is an important part of ensuring the energy independence of the United Kingdom and working towards fulfilling the Government’s net zero targets by 2050.

BSR selects sites for solar development based on where there is a viable grid connection nearby, as this can often be a factor which makes many sites unviable for solar development. BSR would always seek to select land of a low agricultural grade near to these connections, where these are available. The Land at Leamington road is understood to be Grade 3, meaning it is only Moderate – Good. An assessment has recently been undertaken to confirm the land grade. The development of solar in this location will also allow the local farmer the opportunity for a guaranteed, stable income, compared to farming the land, supporting the farms wider activities. Not completely grade 3 land. The majority of the site is covered under ALC grade 3a (48.9%) and 3b (38.5%) with a small amount of ALC grade 2 land (12.6%).

The project team has carefully considered all of the feedback received throughout BSR’s pre-application consultation with the Council and wider community stakeholders and the following amends have been made to the proposals as a result:

  • Final Biodiversity Net Gain Figures of 123.48% for habitat and 35.13% for hedgerow units. Which far exceeds the 10% figure outlined in the Environment Act.
  • The fence along the western boundary (where the watercourse is) has been moved slightly further into the site and away from the watercourse to appease concerns over flooding impacts.
  • We have amended the site layout to pull the development away from the northern boundary to help address visual impact concerns.
    Moved the technical site compound, which houses elements such as the DNO Substation, as a result of no longer building in the northernmost portion of the site.

All of the feedback is reported and responded to in the Statement of Community Involvement which has been submitted as part of the planning application. The responses to the main themes raised can also be viewed within the Feedback Summary Report which is available on the ‘Downloads’ tab. 

Heritage assessment

A detailed Heritage Assessment has been undertaken. This assessment has identified that the site cannot be seen from any heritage asset and only the top of the tower of the Grade II* Listed church at Princethorpe College can be seen from parts of the site. Overall, the proposed solar development will not affect how any heritage asset in the surrounding area would be experienced or viewed and thereby it is concluded that there will be no harm to their heritage significance.’

Our consultation period ran from 26th June to 16th July 2023 and provided the local community the opportunity to provide feedback as we develop our proposal for Land at Leamington Road to ensure we understand any concerns.

Thank you to all of those that provided feedback as part of our consultation. Following the receipt of this feedback, the project team took the time to fully consider this and make amends before submitting a planning application to Rugby Borough Council, this was validated in June 2024. The application number is R24/0373. 

View the application here