Stanground solar park given green light

Planning permission has been granted for a new solar park and a battery storage system on a former landfill site at Stanground.

The project – which will have a generating capacity of 2.93MW, and a lifespan of between 25 and 30 years – will generate the energy equivalent to producing enough electricity to power 700 homes.

It will increase the volume of renewable electricity and battery storage available locally, all of which will help Peterborough and Cambridgeshire achieve their net zero carbon ambitions which came from their Climate Emergency declarations in 2019.

The solar park will be on the site of the former Stanground waste facility which is now closed and capped off. This site is no longer suitable for waste disposal or any development because of the importance of maintaining the cap, which protects the environment from the waste buried within the site

The solar park – consisting of over 5800 panels – and battery energy storage system together will connect to the local electricity grid and sell green electricity into the wholesale market, supporting everyone to live low-carbon lifestyles.

The project was given the go-ahead by Peterborough City Council’s Planning and Environmental Protection Committee this week.

Extensive consultations – including presentation evenings and webinars – were carried out with the local community before the proposals were submitted and these informed the design that was brought forward for planning permission.

The project team behind the project carried out ecological surveys and incorporated these within the planning application and included landscaping which will block views of the solar park from nearby homes.

Cllr Mark Goldsack, Chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Commercial and Investment Committee said: “I am delighted this forward-thinking project has been approved. The UK is in the transition to a low carbon future and we must significantly increase electricity generation. Solar panels and battery storage – in the right locations of minimal visual or noise impact – are key to our future electricity system and provide the flexibility and resilience consumers need.”

Cllr Marco Cereste, Peterborough City Council’s Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene and the Environment said: “I too am very pleased that this initiative was given the go-ahead. We need to do everything we can to support the Climate Change agenda and move towards the delivery of Green Energy as soon as possible.”