West Suffolk Council planners decide no environmental impact assessment is needed for proposed commercial solar farm in Brandon

An environmental impact assessment is not needed for a proposed commercial solar farm and battery energy storage system in Brandon, planners have decided.

West Suffolk Council, which was considering the Enironmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening opinion application for the proposed solar farm over three fields on the Brandon Fields Estate, issued its decision yesterday.

A supporting statement sent to planners by renewable energy producer OPDE UK Limited said the proposed scheme would provide the electricity needs of ‘approximately 7,700 homes’ annual usage’, while the development would be ‘fully reversible’ if electricity generation at the site ceased.

The site is currently used for arable farming.

In their response to the application, an arboricultural officer from Place Services, which provides advice to planning officers, said: “It is anticipated that the proposal could have an impact on existing mature and significant vegetation.”

Meanwhile an ecology and landscape officer said in their response that the site is located near two designated sites of European importance, being within 180m of of Breckland Special Protection Area (SPA) and Breckland Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

It is also 330m from Breckland Farmland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), 180m from Weeting Heath SSSI, 1.8km away from Wangford Warren and Carr SSSI and 1.2km from Breckland Forest SSSI.

The ecology and landscape officer added: “There is potential for significant visual impacts during the construction and operation of the site.”

And Pip Malone, of Natural England’s consultations team, said on the basis of the material supplied with the consultation, ‘the proposed development has potential likely significant effects on statutorily designated nature conservation sites or landscapes and further consideration is required’.