Kemble

Working with the Bathurst Estate, Aura Power have been granted planning permission for a solar farm on land southwest of Kemble and northeast of Chelworth. The solar farm could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of up to 14,441 homes, thereby saving up to 25,787 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year. These figures are based on the expected capacity of up to 49.9MW.

Kemble Solar Farm will be built without subsidy, and will therefore compete with fossil fuel generation on a level playing field. By increasing the supply of clean power, our solar farm will help to reduce national power prices, whilst securing regional investment and green jobs. As a local business, our solar farm will also be contributing nearly £100,000 in business rates to Cotswold and Wiltshire Councils every year.

Furthermore, Aura is proposing a Community Benefit Fund of £350 per MW per year (index-linked), for the lifetime of the solar farm. This could amount to £17,500 a year for 40 years or nearly £700,000 in total. £2,000 a year would be set aside for educational sessions with local schools and site visits to the solar farm. The remainder will would typically be administered by the local parish councils and used for social and environmental community projects.

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As well as contributing to local and national targets in the drive to net zero, our proposal offers significant enhancements to local biodiversity; a much needed factor in tackling the current climate and ecological crisis.

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The solar farm was granted planning permission by Cotswold Council in December 2021 and by Wiltshire Council in March 2022. Construction is anticipated to commence towards the end of 2023.

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Cotswold District Council planning application number: 21/02735/FUL

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Wiltshire Council planning application: PL/2021/06919

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Nov 2020

On the 10th November we held a Pre-Planning Public Consultation Webinar and Q&A session event where we outlined the proposal and answered questions from the local community. A recording of this webinar is available to watch below.

Jul 2021

We submitted our planning application to Cotswold District Council and Wiltshire Council. Details of how to view the application can be seen in the latest news section.

Nov 2021

The application will be determined by each respective planning authority. This process can take anything from 13 weeks to 40.

April 2022

Planning Permission was granted and preparation commences for construction.

Spring/Summer 2023

Construction is expected to commence taking 4-6 months. The local community will be notified when dates are confirmed.

25787

tonnes of CO2 saved

_{Based upon 430 tonnes of carbon dioxide per GWh for electricity supplied by fossil fuels, published by}_{DBEIS (28th March 2019) 2018 UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Provisional Figures Statistical Release: National Statistics}_.

59969

homes powered with electricity

_{Stated figure is calculated the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy}_{‘Sub-national electricity consumption statistics 2017’ updated September 2019}_{, which reports an average domestic consumption per household in the South West of 4,152.64kWh (DBEIS, 2019). NB. All figures reported to 3 significant figures unless stated otherwise.}

14441

‍MWh (net) of electricity every year.

_{Using a Solar Radiation Database (source:}_{https://www.rensmart.com/Maps)}_{figure of 3.33kwh/m2/day, a candidate solar panel irradiation efficiency of 15.1% and 10% array losses.}

Contributes to local and national targets

in biodiversity

Local School Visits

Consulting with the local community

Useful Links

Exhibition Boards /Presentation Slides

Community Leaflet

Frequently Asked Questions

Location (Google Maps)

Ethical Supply Chain & Sustainability

Prior to submitting the planning application, we consulted with the local community to develop the final design for the solar farm. We will continue to work closely with the community through the construction phase and are always available to answer any queries and concerns.

Continued consultation

10.11.20

Proposal Summary:

The solar farm would generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 14,441 typical homes annually
It would save an estimated 25,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, helping to achieve local and national carbon reduction targets.
Community benefit fund of £350 per MW, index-linked, per year, for the lifetime of the solar farm. This could amount to £17,500 a year for 40 years or nearly £700,000 in total.
Educational sessions and local school visits to the solar farm offered.
Surface water management measures incorporated specifically to help alleviate the existing flooding residents face in Kemble Wick.
Limited visual impact on the surrounding area, assisted by the proposed tree and hedgerow planting.
The land around the panels will stay in agricultural use, with sheep grazing for part of the year.
The ecology and biodiversity of the site would be significantly enhanced through the planting of new hedgerows, areas of woodland and tree belts and wildflowers planted around the perimeter of the entire site.
Access to the site would be off the A429.
Construction is expected to take around 4 – 6 months. Deliveries will be restricted, wherever possible, to off-peak weekdays (9 am to 3 pm) to reduce impacts on local road users. Maintenance vehicles to the site once the solar farm is operational will be minimal.
A Construction Management Plan will be agreed with the Local Authority before construction starts.

The revised site layout and landscaping can be seen in the image to the left – please click to enlarge.

Site Location

Whilst offering ecological benefits locally, we understand that solar farms can represent a change to the landscape. As such, we conducted a number of environmental and visual surveys to establish and mitigate any such effects.

We have worked closely with local residents to address concerns and amended our site design to allow further setback from footpaths and residences as well as planting mature trees and hedgerows for more immediate screening.

Kemble

Solar Farm

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