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Aura Power has secured planning permission for a solar farm on land to the west of Penkridge in South Staffordshire.
Preston Hill Solar Farm will be built without subsidy and would generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of around 14000 homes, saving around 12,400 tonnes of carbon entering the atmosphere each year.
The UK has a legally binding target to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050 as well as completely decarbonising the UK’s power supplies by 2035. Staffordshire County Council has declared a Climate Emergency in order to achieve this.
Solar farms not only increase the supply of clean power but as solar is the lowest cost form of new energy generation it will also help to reduce national power prices.
It offers a number of benefits locally with net gains in biodiveristy and a community benefit fund of £20,000 a year for the lifetime of the solar farm amounting to £700,000 in total. The fund is offered to support local social and environmental projects. We are also offering educational sessions with local schools and site visits to the solar farm.
As a local business, our solar farm will be contributing over £100,000 in business rates to South Staffordshire Council every year as well as providing green jobs.
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23rd July 2026 - We are continuing to progress the project towards construction and have been working with the Local Planning Authority to discharge the remaining planning conditions.
Recent activity has included road condition surveys, the submission of a minor amendment application to optimise the approved design, and the commencement of the final phase of archaeological investigations.
Subject to the remaining approvals, we are aiming to begin construction in August, with initial works focusing on access improvements from Levedale Road.
We held a public information event on Thursday 23rd July at Haling Dene Centre in Penkridge, where we talked through the construction programme. We heard the concerns raised by residents regarding the suitability of the road and the potential impact of construction traffic, particularly for those living closest to the site entrance. Whilst the approved access arrangements cannot be changed at this stage, we have listened carefully to the feedback received. We are now discussing with our highways consultants and construction team whether any additional mitigation measures can be implemented beyond those already proposed.
We encourage any concerned residents to contact us directly at:
prestonhillsolarfarm@aurapower.co.uk
0117 214 1971
Pre-planning community consultations
We will consider all community feedback to shape the solar farm's final design before submitting a planning application
Planning application submitted to South Staffordshire Council
The planning application was approved
Construction is anticipated to commence and due to take around 8-9 months.
equivalent number of homes powered every year
Estimated figure is calculated using BEIS ‘Sub-national electricity consumption statistics 2020’ which reports an average domestic consumption per South Staffs Household
tonnes of CO2 saved every year
estimated figure calculated using the UK Government Gas Conversion Factor, BEIS, July 2021 of 0.2133 Tonnes Carbon/MWh. NV Calculations based on the PV Syst generation report for the proposed layout
equivalent number of electric cars powered every year
Estimated figure calculated using an average mileage of 9435 miles per year (MOT data from RAC Foundation) and an average power consumption of 2,887 kWh (Electric Vehicle Database 2021)
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Jobs created during construction and local suppliers prioritised
Over £100,000 a year in business rates to South Staffordshire Council
£20,000 a year Community Benefit Fund
Community feedback played a substantial role in the evolution of our site design and we thank everyone for their feedback. We will be updating the local community as we move towards preparation for construction and welcome local residents and Councillors to contact us at any time.
We encourage local residents to work collaboratively with us so that we can ensure any disruption during the construction can be mitigated effectively. We thank the local community in advance for their cooperation.
chloe.hood@aurapower.com
0117 214 1971
The Council will undertake their own consultation and local residents will be invited to provide their comments on the scheme.
Site Location and Proposal
• Site area of approximately 61ha
• Includes 0.76 km of new hedgerow, 2 km of new native broadleaved trees, 1ha of wildflower meadows, 6.7ha of native wildflower and grassland for bird nesting, site wide species rich grassland, bird and bat boxes and insect hotels, delivering a significant improvement to habitats for wildlife calculated to offer a biodiversity net gain of 130%.
• Environmental studies undertaken: landscape, heritage, ecology, noise and hydrology
• Continued agricultural use with sheep grazing amongst the panels
View the location on Google Maps by clicking here.
Solar Energy UK have published a very helpful fact sheet which addresses many of the misconceptions of solar farms including concerns regarding food security, and the disposal of panels after the solar farm has been decommissioned. This is available to view by clicking here.
Construction Route
The Construction Management Plan for Preston Hill Solar Farm has been prepared by a specialist transport consultant and approved by Staffordshire Highways. Construction of the site entrances will commence in August 2026, with the main construction works taking place from September. The following measures will be in place to manage construction traffic:
All construction vehicles will use the designated access route. Appropriate signage will be in place.
Traffic Management:
A dedicated point of contact will be available throughout the construction period to respond to any questions or concerns from the local community promptly and efficiently.
Your feedback is very important to us. Please leave a comment and one of our project team will get back to you as soon as possible.
30 Queen Square
Penthouse Office
Bristol BS1 4ND
+44 (0) 117 214 1982
Designed by The SourdoughPenthouse Office
30 Queen Square
Bristol BS1 4ND
+44 (0) 117 214 1982