A public consultation has been launched over proposals for a new solar farm off Wilmingham Lane near Thorley, to be known as Barnfield Solar Farm.
Plans have been put forward by British-owned investment and asset management company, Low Carbon, for a 39 hectares solar farm that will create enough clean energy to power almost 10,000 homes each year.
It has been revealed that Barnfield Solar Farm will be located on land east of Wilmingham Lane and south of the village of Thorley, near Wellow. Once developed, it will help assist in delivering low cost, safe and affordable electricity to the tune of around 30 megawatts.
Developers say that the site will boast a number of environmental benefits which include a biodiversity net gain to help improve new and existing habitats and the opportunity to work with a trained local beekeeper to site beehives, to help pollinate nearby crops and plants, providing a secure environment with readily available food sources.
It’s said that Barnfield will provide a unique and innovative space for sheep to graze amongst the solar panels which provide protection in both summer and winter. There will also be additional planting of native species.
The public consultation is open for 3 weeks, closing on Thursday 18th August and consists of 2 events.
- Virtual webinar on Zoom, followed by a Questions and Answers session on Tuesday 2nd August 2022
- In-person village Hall meeting on Tuesday 9th August 2022 at Yarmouth Community Hall, St James’ St, Yarmouth between 14:30-19:30.
Low Carbon encourages the public to provide their feedback on the proposals during the consultation period which will be considered and incorporated into the scheme where possible.
A planning application is expected to be submitted to the Isle of Wight Council later this year.
Further information is available on the Barnfield Solar Farm project website at www.barnfieldsolarfarm.co.uk/. You can also email [email protected].
Better that than another unneeded development of cheaply built ugly benefit hutches.
Yes, very nice but who actually benefits from these not so nice panels all over our countryside ?? I have not seen any benefit. The fields should be used for growing vegetables.
Well if they don’t put a solar farm on it, which will benefits many then they will put houses on it that only benefits the builder
The problem won’t be ‘instead of’ it will be ‘as well as’ when it comes to more social housing, for now, if you people hadn’t noticed, the poor elements are being paid to breed via child allowance, chid tax credits and working tax credits.
As they get free rent and free council tax too, along with the entire family then gaining free prescriptions and dental care, the majority have being doing this for year, and now their children are grown and want to do the same, hence the need to build so many new homes.
Along with migrant pressure there isn’t enough homes now, or the power to feed such,
So not ‘instead’ of, but, as ‘well as’
what migrant pressure,or do you mean all the old people retiring to the island to live on their pension credits, you obviously think you are far superior to poor people, when in reality your just a sad little creature twat.
Old people do not retire to the island to live on their pension credits. They pay for their houses with cash after working hard all of their lives on the mainland. They then spend hard earned money with local businesses to improve those properties. That’s if they can find a local builder who won’t run off with the money before completing a job. These ‘Old People ‘ don’t need pension credits as they have the state pension (which they have paid for via national insurance etc) and most also have company pensions again which they have contributed to by working hard, something perhaps that you should try.
Let’s hope the council planners see this as a positive. I accept the fact that there is a visual negative element , but the new solar farms that allow sheep grazing are a very good compromise.
Maybe Pennyfeathers developers could take note. They would benefit the planet and produce food – and still make a good profit without imposing more houses upon us.
This will benefit future generations and is a no brainer.
The countryside is getting covered in these solar farms, we are told this is to our benefit. If that’s true why is the cost of electricity escalating so much that we are being told to cut our usage and sit in door with an overcoat on to keep warm?
For a start the electricity it produces is not ‘low cost’, its production is heavily subsidized by the taxpayer, the panels are made using large quantities of fossil fuels and contain lots of very nasty un-recyclable materials, they have a limited lifespan and are imported thousands of miles, whilst the number of homes ‘powered’ by these panels is also factually incorrect because they only work when the sun shines, so they mighty power nearly 10,000 homes some of the time when conditions allow (not at night or in times of poor sunlight such as winter).
Whilst I empathise to an extent , panel recycling is a growing industry. All the glass and aluminium is recyclable , and the latest panels contain less toxic materials than the early ones. Battery storage is also growing to provide power when the sun isnt shining and demand is much lower at night.
See https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2017/10/the-opportunities-of-solar-panel-recycling
The trouble with all of this is it’s just theoretical ‘opportunities’ and ‘potential’ not reality and facts. Battery storage is not growing to any significant degree either (certainly not enough to plug gaps and actually power homes for long enough periods when the rest of the ‘renewable’ technology isn’t working) – as for less power needed at night, not if the magic of electric cars happens and everyone puts them on charge, oh and people also program their washing machines to run at night when power is supposedly going to be cheaper. The whole renewable energy bandwagon is a finely constructed network of possibilities, maybes, when technology improves fiction as places like Sri Lanka are finding out to the detriment of their population (though strangely not the politicians, bureaucrats and corporations behind it all)
Apparently Solar Panels work well when it’s sunny but not when it is very hot, high surface temperatures on the panels reduce their efficiency.
This is a false statement in the UK. It is true for the US, if you’re going to repeat the rhetoric from your oil companies shills at least ensure it’s the propaganda for the right country.
That will take over the whole island
About time the island switched to cleaner energy. Its about 50 years behind the mainland in most other things.
Rubbish. The island has always been ahead in paying low wages, highest numbers of single parents and the most pot holes, with now perhaps the most pot-heads too
And the list goes on….
All new builds (including houses) should have solar panels on the roofs.
All industrial buildings should have solar panels on their roofs.
The Vestas building is a prime spot for solar panels.
We will need fields to grow food.
We need fields of wheat for bread.
We cannot rely on getting wheat from Ukraine any longer.
This is an eco friendly way of creating a brownfield site ripe for future housing.
Wake up to the green scam, it certainly isn’t there to benefit the environment, only the pockets of the rich.
Great idea. Better than a concrete jungle!
I now see why they measure in hectares ! That is 96 Acres !
How many football pitches is that then ?
About 50 !
With the economic crisis currently affecting the world is this the best use for the land? We should concentrate more being an Island on self supply of fruit and vegetables for local use, surplus being sold to local supermarkets and mainland. Global warming on the increase and everything going electric may not be the answer especially via solar panels, they destroy the soil, wind farms would be a better option and cheaper as nature will help rather than fossil fuel.
What a waste of land. Build wind farms and you can farm the land around them. They also look cool
I think if they are built higher off the ground, so the ground can be used for other things, food, sheep, whatever.. The one out past Medina, is very close to the ground, so that space is useless.. I am all for it, BUT, what is produced, should first be given to Island… and I agree more panels on roofs, house and factory builders should take this in mind when planning.
Consultation ? Waste of paper and time It’s going through .. with this council anyway and will be third one in the area,, less second homes, no affordable housing and no reduction in my energy bill .. brilliant idea ..
If we want to save the world from a fiery end projects like this must go ahead
Get a grip dear and wake up against this hyped up green nonsense.
We need to do something to get of the oil from others. I’m all for his as well as wind farms. Better than having to go cap in hand to Putin.