• We secured planning permission for the Middleroad 49.99MW solar + storage project near Harbury on 13 September 2023;
• THE SOLAR FARM will have an export capacity of 49.99MW. A solar farm of this size, with associated battery storage, will therefore generate and store a significant amount of electricity from renewable sources and mean a reduction of up to 27,188 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually compared to generating the same amount of electricity using coal. This represents a significant contribution to the legally binding national and international requirement and associated targets to increase renewable energy generation and reduce CO2 emissions. For context, the solar farm can meet the electricity needs of approximately 14,500 homes in the District;
• This scheme also represents a significant financial investment and would benefit the local economy due to the construction workers on-site during peak times of the construction period, which is expected to take approximately 8 months;
• The Proposed Development will also provide temporary jobs, both direct jobs on-site and indirect/induced roles in the wider economy, during the construction period;
• The Proposed Development will also provide economic benefits through the payment of business rates;
• Where possible, the Proposed Development retains and enhances existing landscape features, particularly the hedgerow field boundaries and promotes the use of traditional field hedges and diversity of native hedgerow species. The significant ecological and landscape enhancements are a benefit to be afforded further weight in favour of granting planning permission;
• The Proposed Development will secure a Biodiversity Net Gain of over 30% in Habitat Units;
• Any future maintenance required throughout the operational phase will be using local contractors where possible and appropriate;
• The Applicant will also be offering a community benefit fund of £50,000 to local organisations.

The site extends to approximately 89 hectares and comprises agricultural land divided by hedgerows split across two separate areas, a southern parcel which is dissected by the trainline and a northern parcel. The southern parcel of land is positioned to the north of Middle Road and to the north and east of Middle Road Farm. The second parcel is positioned to the north-east of Sharmer Fields House and adjacent to Island Farm. The site is located approximately 1km north-west of Harbury and approximately 1.2km west of Ufton at its closest point. The site has been chosen for a number of reasons including:

• This site has a technically and commercially viable grid connection, and benefits from an onsite point of connection to the electricity network;
• The site is suitable for construction in terms of topography and field structure;
• There are no statutory designated areas within the site;​
• The site is in majority located in Flood Zone 1 (i.e. with the lowest risk of flooding) with a small band of land within Flood Zone 2 and Flood Zone 3 positioned adjacent to the Fosse Way;​
• The site has good access to the main highway network with new access proposed into the northern and southern parcels of land;​
• The site contains no areas of higher quality agricultural land.