Green Switch Capital has announced that it has been granted full planning permission for its 49.95 MW Lark Hill Solar Farm in Essex.
Planning permission has been granted by Rochford District Council for the development, which will be sited on 66 hectares of land near Canewdon, Essex. The project is expected to have an operational life of 40 years, after which the site will be restored to its previous state.
According to the planning application documents, sheep are allowed to graze on the site, with the application specifying that “the lower edge of the solar panels would be raised approximately 800mm above ground level to allow the area under the panels to be grazed by sheep. .”. The plans also state that grazing sheep will be an important part of keeping the grass on the site manageable, in addition to regular mowing.
Although the project’s planned capacity places it just outside the boundary for classification as a Nationally Important Infrastructure Project (NSIP), the planning documents also note that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has decided not to submit the application to higher authorities . government powers, thus leaving the power to determine application approval in the hands of local authorities. This result is unlikely to come as a surprise to many as consultations are currently underway to increase the threshold for NSIP status above the current limit of 50 MW.
No date has been given for when on-site construction will begin, but Green Switch notes in its filing that construction will take approximately 32 weeks once it begins. A Community Benefit Fund of at least £10,000 will be established to support the local Canewdon Parish Council.
Green Switch Capital, which is now part of Qair Group, already has a renewable energy pipeline of more than 15 GW, with the company’s first projects expected to be commissioned in 2026.
“We are pleased to have received planning permission for Lark Hill Solar Farm,” said Markus Wierenga, CEO of Green Switch Capital. “This project marks another important step forward in our pursuit of sustainable energy solutions.”
A new wave of solar farms receives approval
Many in the solar industry have received welcome news as a wave of solar projects have recently been approved across Britain. Earlier this week, solar and battery developer Renewable Connections received full approval for its 22.5MW Old Hall Solar farm, located near Ragdale, Leicestershire.
More importantly, Britain’s largest solar farm, the Cottam Solar Project, was granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) by Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband. The project, being developed by Island Green Power, will have a capacity of 600 MW from four ground-mounted solar PV generating stations, as well as an on-site battery energy storage system (BESS).
