Ham Farm Solar Park

Innova Renewables Developments are planning to develop, construct, and operate a new solar array located on Ham Farm, south-east of Creech St Michael and south of Ham, Taunton.  

The site will have the ability to generate 21.8MWp of renewable energy, enough to power 5,925 homes in Somerset West and Taunton and save 4,992 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. 

The site has been carefully selected and designed during a detailed assessment process considering grid availability, solar irradiance, heritage, landscape & amenity, ecology & environmental designations, access, and agricultural land quality. 

The project was approved by Somerset Council at the Planning West Committee meeting on the 25th June 2024.  

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 and a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035. The Proposed Development would support the UK’s transition to Net Zero and increase the use of renewable energy through supporting the availability of energy to the National Grid. 

The site is located within the Solar Resource Area as denoted in the Somerset Energy Investment Plan. This report was commissioned by Somerset Council to identify opportunities for energy investments in Somerset. 

The site has been carefully selected and designed during a detailed assessment process considering grid availability, solar irradiance, heritage, landscape & amenity, ecology & environmental designations, access, and agricultural land quality.

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 and a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035. This requires an extra 3GW of solar to be built each year. Renewable energy developments like Ham Farm Solar Park are a key part of addressing the Climate Emergency. The development will serve a key role in this vital transition to renewable energy. 

Somerset Council has declared a climate emergency and is committed to working towards making the County carbon-neutral by 2030. 

The site has been carefully selected and designed during a detailed assessment process considering grid availability, solar irradiance, heritage, landscape & amenity, ecology & environmental designations, access, and agricultural land quality. 

The site is located in Ham, Taunton which is a hamlet located approximately 6km to the east of Taunton Town Centre. 

Access information: Access to the site for construction will be from the A358 at Lipe Lane to an existing field entrance on White Street and therefore no traffic movements through the village of Ham. Deliveries to site will avoid peak hours. 

Advanced notification will be provided for road users and residents ahead of the anticipated 16-week construction period.  

Upon completion of construction there will be minimal traffic during the operational period with maintenance only requiring a site visit roughly once per month. 

Cable route:

The site will connect via an underground cable to the overhead lines that run to the west of the access track. The cable route is entirely on private land.

A range of specialist consultants have undertaken surveys which were submitted as part of the planning application, to aid in the design process and to ensure the site is appropriate for development. These surveys include: 

• Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment 

• Agricultural Land Classification Assessment 

• Construction Traffic Management Plan 

• Heritage and Archaeological Assessment including Trial Trenching 

• Ecological Assessment 

• Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment 

• Arboricultural Assessment 

• Glint and Glare Assessment 

• Flood Risk Assessment 

• Noise Impact Assessment 

• Site Selection Assessment