Staveley Solar Farm: FAQs

Solar farms are where photovoltaic (PV) panels, referred to as solar panels, are used to harvest the sun’s power on a utility scale. The PV panels convert natural sunlight into electricity.

Staveley Solar Farm would comprise the construction and operation (including maintenance) of ground mounted PV arrays and supporting infrastructure. The supporting infrastructure would include:

• Substations, comprising electrical equipment such as inverters and transformers.
• Approximately 90% of the electricity generated by the solar farm will be used by Anglian Water, the local water supplier, to decarbonise their operations, and of which 10-15% will be utilised at the Wing Water Treatment Works via a ‘direct wire’. The remaining energy generated would be exported to the National Grid.
• Access tracks for maintenance.
• Perimeter (stock proof ‘deer’) fencing and CCTV.
• Landscape planting to screen views, most likely through infilling and planting of hedgerows and trees.
• Planting within the PV array area and around the perimeter of the site to help enhance the landscape and target Biodiversity Net Gain.

Rutland County Council have set ambitious climate change targets to decarbonise the region and ensure a secure, reliable and clean source of energy for homes and businesses in the County. Staveley Solar Farm would play an important role in providing local energy whilst also contributing to the UK’s wider net zero targets.

Anglian Water has targets to achieve 45 per cent renewable energy generation by 2025 and become a net zero carbon organisation by 2030.

It takes a huge amount of electricity to pump water through the network to treatment works, and to treat water to a quality suitable to supply to customers. Therefore, finding renewable energy alternatives to the supply from National Grid is essential to achieve the carbon reduction goals. Reducing Anglian Water’s reliance on the National Grid also gives more control over operational costs.

The proposed Staveley Solar Farm would be directly connected to Anglian Water’s Wing Water Treatments Works.

The project would have a maximum power output of 40MW of renewable energy – the equivalent of powering 19,600 homes a year and cutting 14,700 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

The site would take up approximately 80 hectares of a wider 1,565 hectares agricultural landholding.

The site is located on land to the south of Pilton, in Rutland.

The proposed Staveley Solar Farm benefits from:

• Its proximity to a suitable Point of Connection at the 33kV substation at Oakham, and Wing Water Treatment works which will benefit from a direct wire connection
• Its accessibility from the highways network
• Its history of use for quarrying and landfill means the land has already been significantly altered and degraded.
• The quality of land it will use, the majority of which has been deemed to be not ‘Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land’: 59ha of the 80ha site area is lower quality agricultural land. 51.9 ha has been assessed to comprise Grade 4 ‘Poor Quality Land’ and 7.1ha Grade 3b ‘Moderate Quality’ land.
• No Public Rights of Way intersecting the site or in close proximity to the site
• The site has been as assessed to confirm that the site and surroundings are not subject to any ecological sensitivity.
• The site is not situated in or close to any areas designated for landscape.
• Using the site for solar farm development allows for continued pastoral agriculture under the panels. This dual use supports agricultural diversification and strengthens the resilience of the landowner’s larger 1485-hectare agricultural enterprise.
• The site is situated in Flood Risk 1 (low) flood risk.
• No designated heritage assets have been identified at the site.

Construction is likely to start in late 2025. We anticipate that it will take twelve months to build the development, with the site potentially being fully operational and generating electricity from late 2026/early 2027.

The site is considered a ‘temporary’ development, meaning it would be decommissioned after a set period without any permanent land use change. The timeline for this decommissioning would be determined and published at a later date, but typically run up to forty years.

The site was previously a quarry, used for mining iron ore, run by Staveley, Coal and Iron Co Ltd.

As such it has low environmental and agricultural value, meaning it can only produce a low yield for arable crops which is increasingly uneconomical for the current farm to sustain.

An Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) has confirmed that the majority of the site is not Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land. Of the 80.3ha site, most of the land (59ha) is grade 3b and 4:

• 51.9ha grade 4
• 7.1ha grade 3b
• 17.7ha grade 3a
• 3.6ha grade 2

Land that is grade 3b or grade 4 is typically classified as ‘lower grade’ agricultural land. By using the former quarry site for solar the existing farm would be able to diversify its operation, supporting continued agricultural output on better quality agricultural land elsewhere on the site.

Our proposals for the solar farm have been designed using a landscape-led approach, taking advantage of natural screening, contours in the land, and existing hedgerows and woodland to ensure it has as minimal a visual impact on the surrounding area. As solar panels are low-profile compared to other forms of infrastructure they can be screened appropriately. Our screening measures will also help mitigate visual impacts through new planting of hedgerows and trees as part of the Landscape and Ecological Management Plan; this is developed as part of the planning process. For further information please see our submitted Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment and accompanying Detailed Landscape Proposal plans.

Total Energies places a strong emphasis on the delivery of landscape and biodiversity enhancements. The frames supporting the solar panels occupy less than 1% of the land within the site, while the rest of the infrastructure typically affects less than 5% of the ground. This design allows sheep to move freely underneath and between the frames, ensuring that approximately 95% of the site remains accessible for vegetation growth. This space can support ongoing agricultural activities, such as sheep grazing, as well as local wildlife throughout the project’s lifespan.

Additionally, the development will achieve a biodiversity net gain of 31.63% in local habitats and 57.71% in surrounding hedgerows, all while maintaining grazing areas on suitable parts of the site.

Other environmental benefits include the provision of 15 bird boxes, 15 bat boxes, 10 hedgehog boxes, 10 insect hotels/boxes and 5 new hibernation areas within the development proposals. These proposed enhancement measures would ensure that the resident animal populations are accommodated, while encouraging further species to move into the site.

Landscape enhancements across the site include:

• Approximately 7.63 hectares of Biodiversity Enhancement Areas (BEA) with species-rich wildflower grass mix and organic wild bird seed mix.
• Species-rich wildflower grass mix along field margins.
• Wildflower meadows under proposed hedgerows and hedgerow enhancements.
• Native scrub planting and native woodland cover.
• The creation of 1,022m of new hedgerows, 95m of new hedgerow infill, and the planting of 156 new trees.

The planning application submission includes various reports assessing the impacts of the development, such as a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, a Landscape and Ecological Management Plan, a Construction Traffic Management Plan, an Agricultural Land Classification Report, an Ecological Assessment Report, a Biodiversity Enhancement and Management Plan and more.

These assessments ensure that the development complies with planning policy requirements and effectively addresses potential environmental impacts.

A Community Benefit Fund is a voluntary commitment by a developer to pay into a fund which is then made available to finance community projects. Community benefit funds can offer an opportunity for the local community to access long-term, reliable, and flexible funding to directly enhance their local area, economy, society, and environment.

Fund Value

The value of the fund will be based on £1,000 per MW per year output of the solar farm. Staveley Solar Farm has a maximum power output of 40MW resulting in an annual community benefit fund of £40,000. The community benefit fund will be available for the operational lifetime of the solar farm. The solar farm is expected to operate for 30 years. If the solar farm operates beyond this, the community benefit fund will be extended in line with the lifetime of the solar farm.

Fund priorities

The fund will be open to proposals from the community to promote social and environmental prosperity and will prioritise funding in the following areas:

• Climate and Environmental improvements
• Youth Inclusion and Education
• Road Safety
• Cultural Dialogue and Heritage

The Community Liaison Group will have discretion to support projects outside of these areas if the community can demonstrate a significant need.

However, the fund will not support:​

• Organisations that promote any kind of discrimination​
• Religious organisations, trade unions and political parties ​
• Organisations that target or support an individual​
• Partnerships that require money to pay for salaries ​

Fund Management

The Community Benefit Fund will be managed by a Community Liaison Group which will consist of a representative from the Operator of the project, a representative from Anglian Water and representatives from the communities local to the site.

This Community Liaison Group will have responsibility for agreeing:

• A clearly defined purpose for the fund that correspond to local needs and priorities
• When the fund will begin making payments
• The size and frequency of fund pay-outs
• The payments that will be made and what – if anything – the payments depend upon
• What – if any – obligations the beneficiary has to the fund such as auditing and reporting
• How disputes should be dealt with

Timeframe for implementation

The mechanism for administering the benefits will be decided once the Community Liaison Group is in place. The fund’s operation is determined by the successful start-up of the Staveley Solar Farm.

You can submit any ideas through our project email address ([email protected])

Keeping the solar farm infrastructure safe form theft is an important consideration. The site will have a range of security measures such as 2.4 meter high post and mesh fencing and infrared CCTV throughout the construction and operation of the site

There is no evidence that solar farm development increases the risk of theft in the wider area.

The size of the project has been determined through a range of factors including site feasibility, grid connection including proximity and cost along with Anglian Water’s operational requirements. The energy generated by the scheme on the proposed site will also play an important role in contributing to Rutland’s local net zero and decarbonisation.

The site is not situated within any national or local landscape designations.

Bluestone instructed input from a Chartered Landscape Architect at an early stage in the process to inform the evolution of the site layout which has included desk top research, site visits, and the production of a ‘Screened Zone of Theoretical Visibility’ to inform the evolution of the site layout to date with further feedback sought at the pre-application engagement phase.

The design of the project minimises its visual impact by positioning it on higher ground behind existing hedgerows, trees, and woodland, along with additional planting that will mature over time to provide further screening.

We have removed panels from the most prominent south-facing slopes which would have been visible from parts of Morcott, reducing impact on the local landscape. Our visual mitigation measures have also been enhanced by additional hedgerow planting, including along Morcott Road. Proposed new hedgerow, tree and scrub planting have been increased further across the scheme as a whole.

We have also incorporated a range of environmental and biodiversity enhancement measures for Staveley Solar Farm as part of our principles for sustainable development on all our projects.

The solar farm has been designed to allow existing sheep grazing to continue and is an element of farm diversification that will support food production on the wider farmstead in the long term. Although it is not a formal requirement yet, we will have achieved biodiversity net gain for Staveley Solar Farm – 31.63% in local habitats and 57.71% in surrounding hedgerows.

Please visit our environmental benefits page for more information.

There will be 2.4m high deer fencing (post & mesh) surrounding the site. At the bottom of the fence would be a 10cm gap to allow passage for small animals.

We are unable to start hedgerow planting until our application is approved by Rutland County Council as the local planning authority. It also needs to be considered that the planting season for trees and hedges runs from November to March.

Under our proposals, the proposed cable route will run from the western side of the Application Site parallel to Wing Road and the A6003 then to Oakham Substation, with a private wire connection and smaller Substation facilitated directly to Anglian Water Wing Water Treatment Works site. The planning application also includes the submission of a Construction Traffic Method Statement which considers the impact of the cable route and propose suitable mitigation.

As raised above the planning application includes the submission of a Construction Traffic Method Statement which considers the impact of the cable route and propose suitable transport mitigation.

We have undertaken extensive environmental survey works to determine and plan appropriate mitigation measures for the environmental and biodiversity impact of the project.

Further information can be found in our Ecological Assessment Report, which also includes the Biodiversity Enhancement and Management Plan. As well as other accompanying technical reports such as but not limited to the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment; Flood Risk Assessment and Surface Water Drainage Strategy; Heritage Statement; Arboriculture Impact Assessment; and Phase I Geo-Environmental Assessment.

Solar farm development is temporary and reversible.

The duration of the operational phase and decommissioning and restoration of the site will be controlled via planning condition.

The development will not give rise to any permanent change of use at the site.

The use of the land during the operational phase will enable the existing agricultural activity of sheep grazing ewes to continue at the site.

The BRE ‘National Solar Centre Guidance for Solar Developments’ [1] describes that solar farms present excellent opportunity to increase biodiversity.  The panels are mounted on piles and cause minimal disturbance to the ground, typically disturbing less than 5% of the site area.

Typically, 95% of the field utilized for solar farm development is still accessible for plant growth and wildlife enhancement.

The amount of ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ delivered by the project will be quantified and using the DEFRA the DEFRA Biodiversity Metric V3.1.

The planning application will include a Biodiversity and Enhancement Management Plan which will show how the site will deliver increased biodiversity.

[1] https://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/nsc/Documents%20Library/NSC%20Publications/National-Solar-Centre—Biodiversity-Guidance-for-Solar-Developments–2014-.pdf

An Ecological Assessment Report has been submitted as part of the planning application which has considered the impact of the development on the local bird population. Habitats within the Site comprising arable land and modified grassland, do not provide suitable habitats for the qualifying features of the nearby statutory designated sites. The small size of fields within the Site (formed by hedgerows/trees along field boundaries) make the Site unattractive to waterbirds, due to reduced sightlines. The loss of arable land and modified grassland, which is abundant in the wider area, is considered unlikely to have an adverse effect on local non-breeding bird populations of any species. No potential for likely significant effect on Internationally, or nationally protected sites, is considered to occur as a result of the Proposed Development.

We have identified several measures to ensure that members of the local community benefit from our work.

Firstly, we are allocating money through a community benefit fund, which could include investment in local projects, recreational spaces, biodiversity and in addressing social issues such as fuel poverty. The feedback we receive during our ongoing engagement will help determine the focus or scope of the fund.

It should be noted that a Community Benefit Fund is a voluntary commitment by the Applicant that sits outside the formal requirements of the planning process.

TotalEnergies also places a strong emphasis on the delivery of landscape and biodiversity enhancements. The development will deliver an overall biodiversity net gain of 31.63% in local habitats and 57.71% in surrounding hedgerows, while maintaining grazing areas on suitable areas of the site.

For more information, please visit our community benefit fund page and environmental benefits page.

Any community benefit proposals can be sent to our project email address, [email protected]