North Weald Solar Farm
Welcome to the home page for North Weald Solar Farm
A co-located battery storage facility is included in the proposal due to the heavily constrained local electricity network. Instead of halting production of electricity at the solar farm during periods of low demand or over-production, the battery storage facility would allow the solar farm to continue generating and store the power. This will then be released back to the grid during less constrained periods and therefore address the problem of intermittency of the network.
Voltalia previously engaged with the local community in July 2022 - the consultation documents from 2022 can be found in the consultation section of this website. Since this consultation, Voltalia has refined the proposals and is now seeking re-engage with residents to outline how the plans have changes and where feedback has helped shape the site’s design.
Voltalia UK Ltd (Voltalia) is preparing to submit a planning application to Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) for a solar farm and battery storage facility on land north and south of the A428 Cambridge Road. The project is known as North Weald Solar Farm.
North Weald Solar Farm is situated approximately 500m west of Croxton and 1.7km south of Toseland. The site is approximately 3km east of St Neots, 10km south of Huntingdon and 17km west of Cambridge. It extends to approximately 71 hectares (175 acres), although the development itself would cover a smaller area.
The proposed North Weald Solar Farm will have an export capacity of 49.9MW. This would power the annual electricity needs of approximately 15,150 family homes and is equivalent to just under 10% of all homes in Huntingdonshire District. This will make a significant contribution to the climate targets set at a local, regional and national level whilst directly contributing to the UK Government’s targets for solar capacity.
North Weald Solar Farm Site Boundary
Let us know your views
Our consultation in July 2022 was an important opportunity for us to receive early feedback. Since then we have continued to refine our proposals and are now seeking feedback to finalise the project design. We recently held a further public consultation on the latest scheme proposals, which closed on Friday 9th June, to understand the local community’s views on the proposals before we submit our application.
We held two public exhibition events to give the community the opportunity to meet the project team and find out more about the proposals:
Event #1 - Croxton
Venue: Croxton Village Hall (PE19 6SX)
Date: Tuesday 23rd May 2023
Time: 2.30pm - 7pm
Event #2 - Yelling
Venue: Yelling Village Hall (PE19 6SB)
Date: Wednesday 24th May 2023
Time: 2.00pm - 7pm
We are now reviewing the feedback that we received and we will update our plans where appropriate in line with comments received. We will then prepare the application for submission to Huntingdonshire District Council, the Local Planning Authority, where the Development Management Committee will decide whether to approve the application.
The consultation materials are still available to view and you can continue to ‘Get in touch’ with the project team if you have questions about the proposals.
Climate Emergency
According to the UN, climate change is the ‘defining crisis of our time and it is happening even more quickly than we feared’. We have to create more renewable energy.
The UK Government has committed to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. In addition to this, the Government has made a legal commitment to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. This will require a rapid and expanded deployment of low carbon power, including solar.
Huntingdonshire District Council’s Climate Strategy has set out a more ambitious target of achieving a ‘Net Carbon Zero Huntingdonshire’ by 2040.
Energy Independence
The current energy supply crisis caused by an over-reliance on foreign markets and large centralised power providers has exposed the UK to a national energy security risk and has contributed to the cost of living crisis. Higher energy costs for businesses are being passed on as price-rises for goods and services for consumers who are also facing sharp increases in costs to meet ordinary day-to-day home energy needs.
The Government’s Energy Security Strategy recognises that we have to act urgently to become energy independent and establish reliable sources of decentralised local energy. North Weald Solar Farm will play a part in ensuring the UK’s energy security, independent from both fossil fuels and external markets, with the ultimate goal of achieving an energy supply that is dependable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable.
Providing you with all the information you need.
Voltalia is committed to ensuring inclusivity for all local residents during the consultation process. We want the presented information about our scheme to be as accessible as possible.
Alongside our in-person consultation events we will also provide a hard copy of all material used at these events for those who are unable to attend upon request.