Julie James, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Climate Change has given her approval for the development of a 15MW solar farm between Saltney and Broughton in Flintshire.
This new planning consent means that the Welsh and English halves of the proposed site can now be joined to form a 30MW solar farm.
The applicant, YnNi Newydd, is a community benefit society and it anticipates that the project, once constructed, will be the largest community-owned solar farm to date in the UK. Local people and organisations will be encouraged to take up shares as members in the society. Members will be part owners and receive interest on their shares, with the surplus profits, forecast to aggregate to £millions over the operational lifetime, going towards funding projects providing local, tangible community benefits.
The site covers 120-acres of mostly grazing land – half in Flintshire and half in Cheshire (consented earlier this year) which is subject to occasional flooding. Separate planning applications had to be submitted to the statutory bodies on either side of the Welsh/English border, together with a detailed assessment of the environmental impacts. In Wales, the project is classed as a Development of National Significance and the land on the Flintshire side is designated as Green Belt. The planning inspector at the department for Planning and Environment Decisions Wales had to decide if there are sufficient environmental, social and economic justifications to overcome the presumption against development in the Green Belt.
The planning inspector noted in the conclusion to his report that ‘In reaching my decision, I have taken into account the requirements of sections 3 and 5 of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. I consider that this decision is in accordance with the Act’s sustainable development principle through its contribution towards embedding our response to the climate and nature emergency in everything we do.’
What’s Next
YnNi Newydd will now be finalising its plans and securing investment for a first phase of construction, currently assumed to commence in 2025.
Our Thanks
The society has a volunteer board representing the coming together of community interests from both sides of the national boundary – Chester Community Energy ltd, the Severn Wye Energy Agency, YnNi Teg ltd and Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig (DEG). We are grateful for the numerous letters of support from the public on both the English and Welsh sides and for advice from government agencies and the work of Mabbett & Associates, our lead planning consultants, YnNi Teg Cyf., our project managers, and Corin Hughes Ltd, who have helped us to work through a long and detailed development process.
We are also grateful for the grant funding from the Welsh Government Energy Service, the Rural Community Energy Fund [established by the UK Government’s former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy] and loans from the Development Bank For Wales and the Robert Owen Community Bank.
YnNi Newydd is a member of Community Energy Wales, a not-for-profit membership organisation that provides assistance and a voice to community groups working on energy projects in Wales.
Co-chief Executive Officers Leanne Wood and Ben Ferguson said:
“We are delighted that this landmark community energy project, a collaboration between organisations in Wales and England, has now received approvals from both statutory authorities. This decision will be a great benefit to the local area and encouraging for the wider community energy sector in the UK. Community Energy Wales will be helping YnNi Newydd, Chester Community Energy and other partners to get this project constructed and operational, delivering sustainable economic, environmental and social benefits to the local community. “
Become a Member:
If you wish to complete an expression of interest, or want to receive updates on the solar farm development please go to Contact us on the YnNi Newydd – Bretton Hall Solar Farm website
