Stokeford Solar Park

Stokeford Solar Park is an operational solar development on green field land located near Stokeford Farm, around 15KM to the southwest of Bournemouth in Dorset.

The site was granted planning permission in February 2021, and was subsequently awarded a Contract for Different (CFDs) by the UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which was announced on 11th July 2022.

Acquisition by Schroders Greencoat Fund

Schroders Greencoat, the specialist renewable investment manager, acquired Stokeford Solar Farm on behalf of its clients from Innova and its joint venture partner Will Bond, the landowner at Stokeford Farm, in November 2024.

Prior to achieving planning consent for the site, Innova engaged proactively with the local community to listen to and collate their feedback on the project. Where possible, we incorporated that feedback into the Stokeford design.

For all Innova’s projects commencing in 2023 onwards, we will provide a community benefit payment. This will be allocated to local projects which will enhance the local area.

We will also place allocated charitable payments each year. This will be paid into the allocated charitable fund, starting from the date when Stokeford is first connected to the electricity network. At the end of each year, we will make donations to our selected charity partners and publicise those decisions.

The cost of administration of the charitable fund will be borne by the Innova and Novus executive teams. All money placed in the fund will go to charity.

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. The Powering Up Britain (published in March 2023) sets an ambition to increase the use of solar fivefold by 2035, therefore renewable energy developments like the Stokeford Solar Park are a key part of addressing the local and national climate emergency.

Stokeford Solar will enhance Biodiversity Net Gain as required by law. At Innova, we work closely with communities where we operate, farmers, and other landowners to design and implement solutions that go above and beyond our statutory requirements, and demonstrate our commitment to improving the environment around all our renewable energy developments.