A contentious application for a renewable energy park near Wootton Bridge has been resubmitted to the Isle of Wight Council.
Sunny Oaks Renewable Energy Park Limited’s revised proposal comprises a collection of ground mounted solar panels and a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
Land to the north west of Whiterails Road/west of Park Road, and land to the south east of Whiterails Road/west of Briddlesford Road.
The installed capacity of the solar panels would amount to around 20 megawatts while the BESS would be exporting at 28.5 megawatts.
A different version of the application was granted permission by the council in April 2024 but was later subject to a judicial review claim.
The claim, which raised a fire risk from the BESS, resulted in the permission being withdrawn.
A Planning Statement prepared by property specialists BCM said:
“The proposed development is located on land which is not within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, nor designated for any purpose.
“The extensive range of mitigation and enhancement measures identified have been developed to enhance the landscape character of the site and to remedy the potential adverse landscape and visual effects.
“These initiatives include planting new mixed native hedgerows, planting a temporary evergreen hedge that will in time be replaced by a native scrub/hedgerow edge, planting new native trees within or next to existing hedges, and establishing extensive natural grassland areas.”
Sunny Oaks’ revised proposal also highlighted the application’s compliance with the council’s local plan policies.
Its benefits for economic development were given particular prominence:
'It will support rural economic development opportunities and farm diversification schemes that contribute to the sustainability of the wider countryside.’
A detractor of the project previously said:
“Destroying our natural environment to replace it with a energy farm is definitely not the right way to go about it in these times.
“We need to protect our natural environment and especially woodland.
“An ancient woodland copse will be directly affected by this farm, wildlife and the land itself will be damaged.
“The Isle of Wight is surrounded by the seas and surely harnessing energy from the seas would be a better idea, leaving the land for farming to produce local food for the Island.
“Solar panels won’t be around long as other more efficient ways of harnessing the sun’s energy becomes available.”
The public consultation on the revised proposal finishes on November 29 and a statutory decision is expected on January 3.
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