A PROPOSAL has been brought forward to extend a controversial solar farm in Upton Warren.
Spring Dev 10 Limited has submitted an application to Bromsgrove District Council for an extension to Foxwalks Solar Farm, on land at Timberhonger Lane.
The proposed extension is located immediately north of the original Foxwalks site on Grafton Lane.
The application also covers equipment housing, fencing, CCTV, ancillary equipment, landscape and biodiversity enhancements.
Planning documents claim the extension would utilise the already approved infrastructure to be delivered at Foxwalks Solar Farm, including access, substation and connection to the National Grid.
The application site is a 15.7ha, broadly rectangular field of which 9.57ha will accommodate the proposed solar panels and equipment associated with the extension to the solar farm.
Documents claim the extension would be able to generate around 13 megawatts, which would generate enough electricity for approximately 4,400 households.
Spring has further claimed that the development extension would save an anticipated 2,300 tonnes of CO2 per year.
A statement by Spring within planning documents said: “The proposed extension to the approved Foxwalks Solar Farm is an ecosystem services solution to our climate change challenge and seeks to integrate biodiversity features into the design and make an important contribution towards carbon reduction targets.
“It has been carefully considered to avoid significant harm to visual amenity, protected habitats or the setting of heritage assets, whilst maintaining agricultural use of the farm.”
The site lies outside the defined settlement boundary for Bromsgrove and is therefore classified as being within the open countryside.
It is also not allocated for development within the adopted Local Plan.
The original 100-acre solar farm, which was approved in April 2024, claims to be able to supply over 13,000 homes with electricity during peak operation and would be operational for 40 years.
The Foxwalks Solar Farm Opposition Group has expressed major reservations about the original project.
Group chairman Carl Bishop, who lives on Grafton Lane, claimed at the time that residents were being deceptively convinced that something is more environmentally friendly than it was.
The opposition group also feared the development would set a precedent for future developments with ‘significant implications’ for rural areas.
Visit the bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk and search application reference 26/00187/FUL on the planning portal for more information on the application.
