New Solar Farm for Dover

Working for growing UK solar developer, operator and maintainer, Greentech, DHA have successfully secured planning consent for the installation of a 24MW solar farm including associated battery storage for a period of 40 years on an arable site near the village of Guston in Dover. 

 

After consulting with the local community, the plans for the 24 MW Chalkpit Solar Farm on 25 hectares of land near Guston and East Langdon, were submitted to Dover District Council by the renewable energy company.

 

Large enough to power 7,250 homes, councillors granted permission after recognising the project would support the council’s climate change agenda by reducing CO2 emissions by 10,000 tonnes per year for its 40-year operational lifespan.

 

Studies undertaken by Greentech have shown that the solar farm’s proposed 25-hectare native wildflower meadow, as well as the planting of 1km of new hedgerows and nearly one hectare of shrub and tree areas, would improve the biodiversity of the site by 57%.

 

In 2014 a similar scheme on the same site (but proposed and promoted by others) was refused by Dover District Council. Eight years later DHA were able to make a convincing argument around the climate change emergency, agricultural diversification and grid capacity/connection that saw Dover District Council’s Planning Committee approve the application almost unanimously bar a single vote.  

 

DHA provided full planning consultancy services for the application, including advising on strategy as well as the content and form of the application documents, to make a robust planning case.