New Solar Farm. 

We were approached by our client Conrad Energy to secure planning for the installation of a new 2.18MW ground mount solar photovoltaic system and associated infrastructure at the main site of British cheesemakers, Belton Farm. Berrys was pleased to provide the following services to the project:

• Engineering Consultancy – Highways, Flood Risk Assessment, Drainage Strategies and Footpath Diversions
• Land Surveying Consultancy – Topographic Survey
• Business Consultancy – Agricultural Land Classification Survey
• Heritage and Conservation Consultancy – Archaeological Surveys

How We Approached The Project

Belton Farm is a family owned business, producing cheese since 1820, situated on the edge of Whitchurch, Shropshire. The Cheese making business has grown over the years and its quality is respected by all the major retailers as a top tier product. The business produces 8,000 tonnes of cheese per annum using 70 million litres of milk from farms in a 25-mile radius from the dairy.

The business set a net zero commitment by 2040, based upon an ambitious Carbon Reduction Plan to de-carbonise services across the cheesemaking production including waste, water, energy and on farm. Therefore the proposed planning application forms part of Belton Farms commitment to there net zero goal. Belton Farm also needed to reduce its costs and electricity and fuel oil formed a large part of the production cost after ingredients and labour.

The project presented a couple of issues that the team needed to work around in order to achieve success. Firstly, the owners of the business were custodians of an ancient monument, Pan Castle – Motte and Bailey. The surrounding fields potentially held historic significance. In order to protect this feature Berrys conducted archaeological surveys both from the air and by a geophysical survey to ensure that the design and construction does not unacceptably impinge on these features.

There was also a public footpath running through the proposed area for the location of the solar panels, which would be unaffected. However the panels needed to be made safe from all personnel and dogs by a deer standard fence. Information boards were added along the footpath route explaining the significance to wildlife and local economy.

How We Achieved The Project

We were delighted to be granted an approval for this scheme.

Covering an area of 2.53 hectares, the solar farm will generate an estimated 2100MWh’s of renewable energy annually. The renewable electricity will be consumed by Belton Farm, helping them move closer to their goal of becoming self-sufficient in energy usage. By reducing their reliance on the electricity distribution network, Belton Farm will not only be contributing to a greener future but also freeing up capacity for other users on the network.