6th February 2024
Innova is delighted to announce the approval of planning permission for Bucklesham Solar Park on 28th November 2023.
The 25MW solar farm, which will be installed on land at Bucklesham Hall Farm in East Suffolk, will provide enough energy to power 6,292 homes in the area.
The specific ecological enhancements to be incorporated in the development are expected to deliver a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) of 97.9% for habitat units and 446.31% for hedgerows. This includes an improvement to the habitat of the nationally scarce black mining bee, which was found on the site during Innova’s Specialist Environmental Surveys.
As part of Innova’s Community Promise, residents of the Bucklesham area will also benefit from a fund of circa £6,250 (£250 per MW generated by the site) per year, plus a further £2,500 (£100 per MWp) charitable donation, for the 40-year lifetime of the project.
Bucklesham Solar Park is therefore not only a significant addition to Innova’s current pipeline of renewable energy projects, but will also play a crucial role in accelerating the UK towards Net Zero and have a positive impact on the local community via the benefit fund administered.
Arslaan Tahir, Programme Manager at Innova, said:
“We’re thrilled to have received planning consent for the Bucklesham Hall Farm Solar Project, a testament to our unwavering mission to deliver renewable energy projects that benefit both the environment and the community.
“Our commitment to strong, thoughtful community engagement and our unique approach to improving the biodiversity in the area were key to securing this decision under delegated powers. We sincerely thank our dedicated consultant team for alltheir hard work and East Suffolk Council for their collaborative spirit during the application process.”
Malcolm McAllister, Land Agent at Farm Renewables, said:
“Farm Renenwables has been delighted to work on the Bucklesham Solar PV project, near to Ipswich. We have worked closely with the landowner to ensure all necessary surveys were completed for the succesfull planning submission. The array will proivide electricity to approximately 6,292 homes in the locality.”
Innova would like to take this opportunity to thank the consultees of East Suffolk Council for their prompt response to this project, as well as our Planning Consultants at Engena, the landowners of Bucklesham Hall Farm, and Malcolm McAllister,the Land Agent at Farm Renewables.
Download the press release