Plans for a solar farm and battery storage facility located to the south of the National Grid Lovedean Substation has been given the final approval.

In October last year, East Hampshire District Council’s planning committee gave Enso Energy’s 91,840-solar panel farm the go ahead.

However, a Section 106 Agreement (legally binding agreement between the local planning authority and applicant) had to be completed before any work could start on the development.

Last week on April 3, the proposal reached the last hurdle, with final sign off from planning officers, after they made sure to check for any changes to legislation and policy at a national level and local level, since the decision was made.

In the final decision report, officers acknowledged updates that had been made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG).

The document stated: “The new NPPF states that planning authorities should give “significant weight to the benefits associated with renewable and low carbon energy generation and the proposal’s contribution to a net zero future” when determining applications. It is considered that these changes do not result in any change to the policy position of the assessment application in a negative way.”

The farm is expected to take seven months to construct and will power more than 12,000 homes. After 40 years, the land will be decommissioned and returned to agricultural use.

The project is one of many examples where there is a push for renewable energy, as the Labor Government plans to unblock the grid, speed up planning decisions and build more renewables to make Britain energy secure with clean power by 2030.