Information and updates about Burnt House Solar Farm

Please see the indicative Programme of Work (subject to change) for more details.

January 2022 – Community consultation on Burnt House Solar Farm.
November 2022 – Project granted planning consent.
July 2026 – Grid connection cable works for the project commences.
August 2026 – Mobilisation for main construction phase of solar farm.
2027 – Solar farm commissioning and connection to electrical grid.
2027 – Burnt House Solar Farm becomes operational

The project will be managed in line with the Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) which can be viewed here.

The detailed landscape proposals can be viewed in here.

• The layout of the proposed development has been designed to retain hedgerows, trees and ditches as far as practically possible. A 2m length of hedgerow may need to be removed to allow for the routing of the construction and maintenance track; however, this may be avoidable by allowing for small adjustments during the construction of the track.
• Hedgerows will be retained on site and along with mature trees around the construction areas.
• With native hedgerow planting and trees (of local provenance) to: strengthen field patterns and local landscape character; screen views of the development from PRoW and nearby dwellings; and increase valuable habitat provision and connectivity.
• Proposed hedgerow with regular hedgerow trees shall run along thinner sections of boundary vegetation to provide full enclosure and afford filtered views only across the site from viewpoint beyond.
• Strengthening and expanding the network of hedgerows across the site will help wildlife move more easily between habitats, while also enhancing the local landscape and supporting biodiversity.
• An area of native tree and shrub planting is proposed to reinforce existing lines of vegetation within the site and/or create extensions of existing woodland and shrub areas, therefore strengthening existing ecological corridors, landscape character and site boundaries.
• Tree and shrub species are consistent with the local landscape, with a variety of species to increase diversity across the site and contribute towards a biodiversity net gain.

• The design and long-term management of the land seeks to maintain and improve functionality through protecting and enhancing potentially important wildlife corridors i.e. through new hedgerow creation and infill planting to strengthen existing hedgerows within and around the Site. The creation of extensive grassland habitat on fields which were formerly arable provides increased habitat for invertebrates and foraging, shelter and breeding opportunities for other wildlife.
• Additional bird nesting provision will be made through the inclusion of 10 bird boxes erected on semi-mature/mature trees located along the field boundaries with and bordering the site.
• Additional bat roost provision will be made through the inclusion of a minimum of 10 bat roost boxes on suitable trees along the field boundaries with and bordering the site.
• A minimum of five insect boxes or ‘hotels’ will be placed around the Biodiversity Enhancement Area to provide habitat enhancements for a range of invertebrate species.
• Ongoing maintenance and review of the BMP to ensure we are delivering on our promises

The Bluefield Group has a strong track record of delivering landscape and ecological enhancements that deliver Biodiversity Net Gain across a number of its solar farms. An example of this would be West Raynham Solar Farm in Norfolk, which was the first solar farm in the UK to be awarded the Wild Power Gold Certificate for on-site biodiversity.