Planning Application
In February 2024, RES submitted a planning application for a 30MW on land between Stallington and Saverley Green, Staffordshire. The solar farm would include energy storage to help increase the flexibility and generation opportunities of the site.The planning application was validated by Stafford Borough Council in June 2024. Electronic copies of the planning application and accompanying documents can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the links below.
Statement of Community Involvement
Figures
- Figure 1 - Site Location Plan
- Figure 2 - Site Location Map
- Figure 3 - Field Numbers
- Figure 4 - Infrastructure Layout
- Figure 5 - Infrastructure Layout Enlargement
- Figure 6 - Typical Access Track Detail
- Figure 7 - Typical Temporary Construction Compound Layout
- Figure 8 - Typical PV Module and Rack Detail
- Figure 9 - Typical Inverter and Storage Layout
- Figure 10 - Typical Inverter Substation
- Figure 11 - Typical DC-DC Convertor
- Figure 12 - Typical Battery Storage Enclosure
- Figure 13 - Client DNO Substation Plan and Elevations
- Figure 14 - Indicative BESS Compound Layout
- Figure 15 - Typical Security Fence Detail
- Figure 16 - Typical Deer Fence
- Figure 17 - Typical Security CCTV Detail
- Figure 18 - Sheep Handling Facility
- Figure 19 - Landscape and Ecology Management Plan
- Figure 20 - Landscape and Ecology Management Plan Enlargement
- Figures 21-24 - Site Access Drawings
Technical and Environmental Appendices
Acoustic Assessment
Agricultural Land Classification
Arboricultural Implications Assessment
Biodiversity Net Gain Report
Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy
Geophysical Survey part 1
Geophysical survey part 2
Glint and Glare Assessment
Green Belt Assessment (GBA)
GBA Figure 1 - Leaford Alternatives Site Selection
Historic Environment Assessment
Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA)
LVIA Viewpoint 1: Footpath between Site and Fulford
LVIA Viewpoint 2: Saverley Green Road
LVIA Viewpoint 3: Little Gorsty Birch
LVIA Viewpoint 4: Footpath to north of the Site
LVIA Viewpoint 5: Fulford Lane, Stallington
LVIA Viewpoint 6: Long Lane near Fulford
LVIA Viewpoint 7: North end of Cresswell
LVIA Viewpoint 8: Totmonslow
LVIA Viewpoint 9: Draycott Cross
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal
Transport Statement
Planning Addendum
In February 2025, RES submitted a Planning Addendum to address the comments raised by the Local Planning Authority and statutory consultees. The Planning Addendum also discusses the latest updates with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the
newly published Clean Power 2030 – Action Plan both of which are material considerations in respect of determining the planning application
Electronic copies of the Planning Addendum and accompanying documents can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the links below.
- Planning Addendum Appendix A: Figure 18: Typical Water Channel Crossing Culvert
- Planning Addendum Appendix B: Location of Glint & Glare OPs and LVIA Residential Receptors
- Planning Addendum Appendix C: Glint & Glare OPs Coordinate Locations
- Planning Addendum Appendix D: Viewpoint 10 Photomontage
- Planning Addendum Appendix E: Updated Viewpoint 2 Photomontage
- Planning Addendum Appendix F: Updated Figure 19: Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) & Figure 20: Landscape
and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) Enlargement - Planning Addendum Appendix G: Updated Figure 1: Site Location Plan
- Planning Addendum Appendix H: Updated Figure 2: Site Location Map
- Planning Addendum Appendix I: Updated Figure 4: Infrastructure Layout
- Planning Addendum Appendix J: Updated Figure 5: Infrastructure Layout Enlargement
- Planning Addendum Appendix K: Very Special Circumstances as demonstrated in the recent Baird Decision at Great Barr, Walsall
Public Rights of Way Management Plan (PMP)
- PMP Appendix A: Site Layout Plan
- PMP Appendix B: PRoW Network at Application Site
- PMP Appendix C: Facsimile Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981: Survey of Public Rights of Way for the Parish of Fulford
- PMP Appendix D: Rights of Way Consultee Response
- PMP Appendix E: Ramblers Response
- PMP Appendix F: Design Midlands Response
- PMP Appendix G: Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP)
- PMP Appendix H: Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP) Enlargement
- PMP Appendix I: Assessment of PRoW Fulford 3
- PMP Appendix J: Cross Sections of PRoW
Reasons to Support the Leaford Solar Farm Proposal
There is now widespread recognition that the UK, and the rest of the world, is in a climate emergency. Solar energy has a significant part to play in meeting the UK’s targets of eliminating fossil fuels from the UK electricity market by 2030 and achieving net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.
The UK Government’s Energy Security Plan, published in March 2023, states “Energy security necessarily entails the smooth transition to abundant, low-carbon energy. If we do not decarbonise, we will be less energy secure” Furthermore, it calls for energy to be “cheap, clean and British”. The report recognises that ground-mounted solar is one of the cheapest forms of electricity generation and is readily deployable at scale.
Our current power system still relies heavily on fossil fuels, such as gas. The volatile price of these is the reason that bills have increased so rapidly in recent months. The need to rapidly scale up home grown energy has become even more urgent.
Solar is a free and inexhaustible resource which has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix. Large scale solar, alongside other renewable technologies, is now the cheapest source of electricity generation1 making solar development not only beneficial for the environment but also for bill payers. If consented, Leaford Solar Farm would be capable of producing clean, green electricity for approximately 8,0002 homes every year.
The Leaford Solar Farm proposal has the potential to deliver a biodiversity net gain of 74% in habitat units and 22% in hedgerow units, through the measures proposed in the Landscape and Ecological Management Plan which accompanies the planning application. These measures include new blocks of woodland, extensive planting of native hedgerow trees and flower rich grassland areas.
The solar farm has been specifically designed to be dual-purpose allowing continued agricultural use in the form of sheep grazing and the production of renewable energy. There would be no long-term loss or reclassification of Green Belt land as a result of the development which is temporary in nature, and the site can be returned to agricultural use at the end of the solar project. An Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) survey accompanies the planning application showing more than 95% of the land that would be used by the solar farm, has been classified as Subgrade 3b and is not considered Best and Most Versatile.
The solar farm could deliver direct benefit to the area - generating jobs during construction and decommissioning. Inward investment can be significant as a range of services will be required including haulage, on-site welfare facilities, refuse and recycling facilities, transport and local accommodation for construction workers. In addition, the solar farm would deliver business rates annually for the life of the project, helping to fund vital local services for all local residents.
If, having read the above, you would like to support the project, or submit any kind of representation, you can do so by submitting a comment online via the Stafford Borough Council website. The planning reference is 24/38719/FUL and should be included in all correspondence.
1 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6556027d046ed400148b99fe/electricity-generation-costs-2023.pdf
2 The homes figure has been calculated by taking the predicted average annual electricity generation of the site and dividing this by the annual average electricity figures from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) showing that the annual UK average domestic household consumption is 3,509 kWh (Dec 2022).