EDF Renewables On Second Consultation On Plans For New Solar Farm That Could Power 17,000 Homes

Proposals for a new solar farm across farmland south of the M20 and northeast of Aldington will be the subject of a second public consultation from Tuesday, 26 October to Monday, 29 November 2021.

The proposed East Stour Solar Farm is being brought forward by EDF Renewables UK. It has the potential to generate up to 49.9MW of renewable electricity, enough to meet the equivalent needs of approximately 17,000 homes in the Borough of Ashford every year.

Second public consultation

This second public consultation follows from an initial public consultation held during the summer of 2021. EDF Renewables UK wants to hear people’s views on its updated design proposals ahead of submitting a planning application to Ashford Borough Council.

Residents can find out more by attending a public exhibition event to be held on the following dates:

• Tuesday 2nd November, 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Aldington Village Hall, The Corner, Roman Road, Aldington, Ashford TN25 7EE.
• Wednesday 3rd November, 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm: Brabourne and Smeeth Village Hall, Bircholt Forstal, Lees Road, Brabourne, Ashford TN25 5LF.

There is also a virtual exhibition that can be viewed online at the EDF website and people can contact the project team directly by calling freephone or by emailing them.

Pivot Power

We are now consulting on our detailed design proposals for East Stour Solar Farm"

EDF Renewables UK’s battery storage team, Pivot Power, is bringing forward proposals for a battery energy storage system on land between the proposed East Stour Solar Farm and Sellindge substation. Details of this will form a separate planning application.

James Lyons from EDF Renewables UK said, “We are now consulting on our detailed design proposals for East Stour Solar Farm."

Feedback and results 

He adds, “We are grateful to everyone that took the time to provide feedback during our initial consultation earlier this year. The proposals that we are now presenting have been shaped by this feedback and the results of the site assessments that we have carried out.”

James Lyons concludes, “We are excited to be presenting our plans both in-person and online. We encourage anyone interested in our proposals to attend one of our events and share their feedback with us. Once the consultation ends, we anticipate submitting a planning application by the end of this year.”