DETAILED plans for a 27 mw ground-mounted solar farm on farmland at Cuerdley have been submitted to planning chiefs at Warrington.
The proposal for the Mowcroft Solar Farm involves 33 hectares of land at Fowl Farm, off Mowcroft Lane. Preliminary talks have already taken place with Warrington Borough Council, and widespread public consultation has taken place in the area. More than 1,000 residents and business have been sent a leaflet outlining the proposals.
The solar farm would be designed to allow the grazing of animals, such as sheep, to continue. It would be operational for 40 years, after which the site would be returned to agricultural use.
Access to the site would be via Mowcroft Lane and energy generated by the solar farm would be fed into the National Grid.
The applicants, Renewable Connections Developments Ltd., say that overall, feedback from the local consultation has been supportive of the scheme.
The site was identified following extensive site selection across Cheshire, taking into account environmental designations, local electricity network access and capacity and the physical character of the area.
Construction of the solar farm would take about 26 weeks.
A package of landscape, ecological and biodiversity benefits would be included in the development, including the installation of barn owl boxes, bird nesting boxes, beehives, log piles, and restoration of traditional field boundaries.
