EDF Renewables UK has submitted a planning application for a 50MW solar farm project in Kent, in south-east England.
The East Stour solar project is located on farmland south of the M20 and north-east of Aldington in the borough of Ashford.
The submission of a planning application follows two rounds of public consultation held during the summer and autumn of 2021.
The comments received during both rounds have led to a number of design changes, including a reduction in size and additional planting proposed around the boundary of the solar farm.
Ashford Borough Council will now decide whether to approve the proposals, a decision is expected later this year.
If approved, construction would likely start on site in 2023.
The East Stour Solar Farm would have an operating life of 40 years.
A community fund worth £20,000 a year would be in place during this time to support local initiatives.
The application documents can be viewed on the Ashford Borough Council’s website.
EDF Renewables UK’s battery storage arm, Pivot Power, is continuing to progress its proposals for a battery energy storage system on land between the proposed East Stour Solar Farm and Sellindge substation.
This will be the subject of a separate planning application that will also be submitted to Ashford Borough Council in the near future.
James Lyons from EDF Renewables UK said: “We are excited to have reached this important milestone in the development of our proposals for East Stour Solar Farm.
“The project has the potential to contribute towards our national effort to reach net zero by 2050. Solar is a tried and tested way of meeting the need for new, renewable forms of power generation.”
“The proposals that we have submitted to Ashford Borough Council have been shaped by the feedback that we received during two rounds of public consultation and the results of our environmental impact assessment.”