Somerset solar farm to go before committee

Plans for a major solar farm in Somerset – which would support more than 100 jobs, yield a construction GVA of more than £2m and support the national Net Zero target – are set to go before committee later this week.The application concerns a 40-acre site on land South of Camp Road, West Coker, Yeovil.Lined up is securing temporary permission – for 40 years and six months – for the development of a ground mounted solar energy generation system and associated infrastructure, including battery energy storage and access arrangements.The proposal involves the installation of solar panels and associated infrastructure facility of approximately 15.23 megawatts peak (MWp), to supply Leonardo of Yeovil.If backed, the project would be expected to create several employment opportunities. This includes supporting 45 direct full-time employment construction roles and a further 60 indirect/induced jobs in the supply chain and related services during the peak phase of the anticipated build period.It would also yield a £2.1m boost in construction employment GVA, again throughout the peak of the build period.The application is set to go before Somerset Council’s planning committee on 30 January, with a recommendation for approval.A report drawn up ahead of the meeting said: “The proposal, by reason of the substantial benefits resulting from the provision of renewable energy, together with the landscape enhancements and biodiversity net gains, which cumulatively outweigh the ‘less than substantial harm’ to heritage assets and the adverse impact to the visual amenity and landscape character, is considered to comprise sustainable development in accordance with the aims and objectives of the South Somerset Local Plan and the NPPF.”